06/22/2024 – 9:48
Anyone who believes that the Brazilian language is simply an adaptation of the Portuguese language is mistaken. Some expressions actually originate from African people. In Portugal, the youngest brother is Benjamim; in Brazil, the term used is caçula, as well as in the Kimbundu language, from northern Angola. Examples like this are in the exhibition “African languages that make Brazil“, on display at the Portuguese Language Museum. Until August 31st this year, entry on Saturdays and Sundays is free.
The first part of the exhibition welcomes the public with 15 words of African origin, such as “marimbondo”, “canjica”, “xingar”, “cochilar” and “minhoca” narrated by residents of the Estação da Luz region, where the cultural space is located. located.
“The intention is to show how African presences are at the root of Brazil. It is something beyond language and that encompasses coding, culture and ways of existing”, explains musician and philosopher Tiganá Santana, responsible for the curation. “They do not merely influence the way one speaks, thinks, reads and writes, but rather structure the Brazilian language.”
At 41 years old, Tiganá presents himself as a composer, singer, instrumentalist, poet, music producer, artistic director, curator, researcher, teacher and translator. Born in Salvador, he believes that his choice to curate the exhibition is the result of years of academic work and a busy artistic life. Almost 14 years ago, the Bahian became the first Brazilian composer to release an album with songs in African languages, titled Maçalê (you are one with your essence) in archaic Yoruba.
To prove that these brands go far beyond words, with impacts on religions, architectural works, music and popular festivals, the exhibition features non-verbal installations. One example is the approximately 20 thousand cowrie shells. Shells are seen as a means of communication between the physical and spiritual world in the Afro-Brazilian tradition.
In the same space, a fabric with the phrase “Bantu Civilizations” is on display, made by the artist J. Cunha for Ilê Aiyê, the first Afro group in Brazil, during the 1996 carnival. The use of turbans is also discussed to explain how different ties indicate hierarchical positions within Candomblé. “We actually take this African linguistic-cultural presence to other language codes,” says Santana.
African presences in details
Lélia Gonzalez, one of Brazil’s leading intellectuals and a reference in debates on gender, race and class, gained prominence in one of the environments. Excerpts from the book Racismo e Sexismo na Cultura Brasileira are projected with images of the sea, accompanied by the use of the expression “pretuguês”, coined by Gonzalez. The project is by visual artist Aline Motta, who also produced a second video installation, in partnership with historian Rafael Galante.
The exhibition also features sculptures by Rebeca Carapiá, made with metal, works by designer Goya Lopes and interviews with researchers such as Félix Ayoh’Omidire, Margarida Petter and Laura Álvarez López. “It’s a complete experience. It was designed with different spaces and different experiences for each of these places.”
The exhibition highlights that these presences arrived in Brazil through 4.8 million Africans brought violently between the 16th and 19th centuries. “This deeper process of self-recognition of people born in Brazil is important. We put mirrors at the entrance so that they can see and recognize themselves, so that we remember the African presence”, says the curator.
Santana believes that, more than a decade after the launch of Maçalê, there are more people dedicated to black cultures, but that it is important to understand how this interest is worked on.
“The next step is to incorporate these aesthetic epistemologies and the diverse knowledge of black people. Stop being something abstract or distant and start thinking to what extent these black constructions participate in our thinking, our action and our idea of democracy”.
The exhibition represents a necessary form of reparation in the opinion of Professor José Vicente, rector of Universidade Zumbi dos Palmares. “African languages were excluded from the official language, made invisible, but they remained present in everyday speech”, says the professor. “The exhibition is important to propagate, disseminate and recognize this historical influence.”
Vicente recalls that Federal Law 10,639/03 determined, almost two decades ago, that all schools should teach Afro-Brazilian history and culture in their curriculum. The law, however, does not reach the majority of schools.
A survey carried out by Geledés and the Alana Institute, with support from the National Union of Municipal Education Directors (Undime) and the National Union of Municipal Education Councils (Uncme), revealed that 71% of the country’s municipal education networks failed to place the determination into practice.
* This content was produced in partnership with Universidade Zumbi dos Palmares, an institution that has been dedicated to ethnic-racial inclusion in higher education for two decades.
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Service
Event: African languages that make Brazil
When: May 24 to January 2025
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 4:30pm, with stays until 6pm
Ticket: R$ 24 (full price); R$ 12 (half); free on Saturdays and Sundays (until August 31st)
Where to buy: Ticket sales at the box office and online;
Location: Portuguese Language Museum
Address: Praça da Luz, s/n – Center – Access through gate A
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