LITTLE AFRICAS

Familial, community, religious and artistic ties form the complex web of relationships that stretches from Little Africa, at the beginning of the twentieth century, to [today’s] streaming platforms. Mães-de-santo, musicians, civil servants, hooligans, journalists, dockworkers, radio stars, pop stars and countless others are among the protagonists of insurgent trajectories that challenge the country’s ingrained racism in diverse ways. In their movement, they combine sophisticated artistic invention, the struggle for survival, the affirmation of spiritual values and the exercise of citizenship. This tangle of partnerships, influences, affective relationships and conflicts has not gone down in official history and is far from having its limits or boundaries established. The Little Africas live in the present continuous of traditions that deserve to be called as such.