By Adeyinka Olaiya/ Sao Paulo, Brazil/
Nigerian music seized the streets of Brazil on Tuesday as the Latin American nation was celebrating “Black Awareness Day”.
Brazil’s “DIA DA CONSCIÊNCIA NEGRA” – Black Awareness Day staged Nigerian music at most of the activities held around the country to mark Black empowerment since the end of the slave trade in 1882 in the country.
Davido’s award-winning song, ‘Assurance’ was loud on the streets of Salvador, Bahia with several African-Brazilian music lovers displaying the dance steps of Davido and Chioma.
Several dance steps were imitated by comedy groups at the occasion but that of the Nigerian dancing lawmaker, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, stood out and drew much applause as every Brazilian present was excited doing the dance.
Here’s a video of the Yoruba ‘Ile Aiye Group’ performing at one of the venues:
Vibes from the legendary Juju music maestro, King Sunny Ade, also ruled at the African-Brazilian international music jump held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
There were master classes, on the Angolan Kuduro dance and the Yoruba traditional Bata dance steps, on the streets of Rio de Janeiro accompanied with the popular Samba dance in Brazil.
The Yoruba Arts, culture and tradition were given a pride of place at the conference held in the auditorium of the Methodist University, Sao Paulo. Lectures were delivered by a prominent Ghanaian African-Brazilian human right activist, Koffi Gabriel.
Gabriel said, “The black race must improve in all ramifications, no matter your country or your finances, always remember we are one.”
The Ashanti man, who also speaks Yoruba, stressed the importance of the introduction of other African tribal languages in the Brazilian school curriculum. He said that many tribes were victims of the slave trade and not just the Yoruba people from the West Coast of Africa.
Nelson Mandela’s human rights foundation researcher and spokesperson, Mandela’s granddaughter, Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela in an Interview, while participating at the event in Sao Paulo spoke of the efforts of the late activist and his fights for freedom, urging the black race to love one and other and never to see the white race as threats or enemies but reasons why the black race must improve.
Apart from the music of Femi Kuti and the Jazz music of the late Afrobeat King, Fela, a Yoruba comedy group also performed the songs of Davido and the dance steps of Sen. Adeleke in Salvador, Bahia.
In the cause of bringing the African culture and tradition closer to the African-Brazilian, several programs are adopted by the Brazilian government to ensure that the African culture remains alive in Brazil.
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