Africa makes us more Brazilian

« If Europe gave us language, Africa gave us rhythm – the rhythm of the body, speech and song and the rhythm that brought Brazilian music into being. Without Africa, we would not have samba, bossa, reggae, coco, frevo, forro, maracatu, capoeira or the art of football. Without Africa, we would not have the "ginga", the cadence or even the pulsation.

If today we have a sensual, affective, sensorial and telluric Brazil, it is because Africa lets us its legacy inside our skin and soul, for ever registered inside our physical and cultural DNA. The Brazilian government must recognise how much the African matrix contributed to the formation of our cultural diversity. We are unique in our diversity, we are black, white and yellow – we are multifaceted. Our music is the most faithful testament to this complex mixture.

For all these reasons, the creation of the Center for Black Music is a historic event for Bahia and for Brazil. The Center must become the primary international reference for Africa’s musical heritage – both a hub for research and the promotion of culture, compensating for the lack of data and analyses on both national and international Black Music.

The Center must also enrich our collective education, and reenergise integration between the peoples of the black diaspora. By its existence, the Center shows that “being more African, is being more Bahian, and being more Brazilian ».

Juca Ferreira - Brazilian Minister for Culture