As part of the Public Program of the exhibition “African Languages ​​that Make Brazil”, Museu Vale invites artist and researcher Paulo Fernandes for a conversation about the historical presence and cultural contribution of the Bantu peoples in Espírito Santo.

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, Espírito Santo, especially the Port of São Mateus on the banks of the Cricaré River, occupied a strategic position in colonial Brazil as one of the main landing points for enslaved Africans, mostly of Bantu origin. Subjected to forced labor, these peoples played a central role in the production of flour, an essential activity for the economic development of the northern region of the state, whose production supplied centers such as Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo.

The Bantu cultural heritage remains alive in the territory of Espírito Santo and is expressed in various popular manifestations, such as the Alardo (or Bate-Flechas), the Boi-Bumbá (Pai Francisco), the Boi Estrela, the Boi Pintadinho, the Caxambu, the Congo, the Folia de Reis, the Jongo, the Marujada, the Reis de Boi, the Ticumbi, and Capoeira.

More than just rescuing the past, the event aims to reflect on the permanence of this knowledge and these expressions in the present, recognizing the importance of the Bantu peoples in the construction of the cultural identity of Espírito Santo and Brazil.

Date: December 4th
Time: 2 PM
Location: Palácio Anchieta, Vitória (ES)

*Free admission

*No registration required. Open to all audiences.