Today’s Black travelers can look to South America to find connections with African culture. Salvador, the capital city of the Brazilian state of Bahia, features a multitude of culinary, fine art, dance, musical and spiritual experiences, activities and attractions inspired by Brazil’s Black population.
Salvador served as Brazil’s national capital from 1549 to 1763 and was a major port during the transatlantic slave trade. Today, the municipality contains the country’s largest population of African descendants.
Salvador’s historic center is known as the Pelourinho (Portuguese for “pillory”), in reference to a whipping post that once existed in its central plaza.
From that painful past, an Afro-Brazilian culture expressed in art, music and cuisine emerged in the city. Now, those qualities draw Black travelers — and anyone eager to explore Brazil’s African influences — to the city.
“Black travelers are being drawn to experience Brazil partly because of its beautiful beaches and landscapes, but mostly because they are intrigued by the large population of African descendants who call it home,” said Felicia Fencl, owner of First Choice Travel Group. “Places like the Afro-Brazilian mecca of Bahia are vibrant, colorful and filled with a majority Black population. There is Afro-Brazilian music playing in the streets, colorful murals and statues, and a strong sense of belonging.”
A drive around Salvador quickly reveals an extensive array of colorfully imaginative street murals; some are small and intimate, while others cover the entire sides of buildings, with many documenting images linked to Afro-Brazilian culture.
A Vibrant Historic Sector
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pelourinho features narrow colonial-era streets and broad public plazas lined with baroque architectural structures dating from the period.
Local treasures include the baroque São Francisco Church and Convent of Salvador, which has interiors sheathed in stunning gold leaf. Casa do Benin, a performance and gallery space, is a local landmark for Afro-Brazilian culture that celebrates connections between the traditions of Bahia and Benin, West Africa, through art exhibits and educational programs.
São Francisco Church and Convent of Salvador features interiors sheathed in gold leaf. (Photo by Brian Major)
Pelourinho is also the cultural base for Salvador’s Afro-Brazilian community, with which visitors can interact on walks along the district’s cobblestone streets. Travelers can expect to encounter Afro-Brazilian street art and artisanal craftwork vendors alongside impromptu displays of capoeira, a martial art practiced for centuries among Black Brazilians that combines dance, music and spirituality.
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