Mandinga Culture
Collaboration with Festival Afro Bahia - Washington, DC/Salvador, Bahia
FESTIVAL AFRO-BAHIA
CELEBRATING AS AYBAS*
JUNE 11 - 13, 2021
*The Aybas - ìyá ágbá are the feminine power sources of Yoruba descendants worshipped in Brazil and throughout the Afro-Atlantic World.
Mandinga-Culture worked closely with the Washington, DC/Bahia based Festival Afro Bahia in creating, planning, curating, and implementing this 2021's theme – As Aybas – Celebrating Feminine Power. This year, Afro-Bahia Festival was dedicated to the idea of feminine power and celebrated our feminine ancestors, and women as nurturers, teachers, spiritual leaders, scholars and performers. The Festival highlighted accomplishments of contemporary Afro-descended women of Brazil and the international communities they constructed, and continue to sustain.
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The collaboration with festival director Sonia Pessoa brought together experts from various cultural arts, and education for this special event streamed from the US and Salvador, Bahia.
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Through film, dance, music performances, capoeira, style workhops, arts presentations and panels,the festival highlighted international collaborations working to improve the lives of women of color in Bahia and the US. Additionally, we focused the festival f on empowerment, healing, and the crucial importance of women leaders in Afro-Brazilian spiritual practices - seen in the documentary “Dona do Terreiro.”
Festival events provided thought provoking, spirited conversations, excitement, color, food for thought, and multi-generational talented women who serve as role models.
