Alaafin visits largest African Afro-Brazilian museum

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, on Thursday, visited the Afro-Brazilian museum, the largest museum of the African Diaspora in Latin America, which houses over 6,000 works of art, artefacts, and other antiques.

The Afro-Brazilian Museum, which spans five centuries of history and chronicles the profound cultural and historical contributions of Black people in Brazil, was founded in 2004 by renowned artist, curator and director, Emanuel Araújo.

According to a statement issued by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaye, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the paramount ruler was accompanied by his Queen Consort, Ayaba Abiwunmi Owoade.

He said, “The Afro Brazil Museum (Museu Afro Brasil) in São Paulo is the largest museum of the African Diaspora in Latin America.

“It houses over 6,000 works of art, artefacts, and antiques spanning five centuries of history to chronicle the profound cultural and historical contributions of Black people in Brazil, located inside the Manuel da Nóbrega Pavilion at Ibirapuera Park.

“The institution was founded in 2004 by the renowned artist, curator, and director Emanuel Araújo. It centres the Black experience in Brazilian history and culture, elevating self-esteem, dignity, and pride.

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“The museum’s massive permanent collection includes paintings, sculptures, and photography: Works portraying Black historical figures, daily life, and the African diaspora. Ethnographic artefacts: Documents, slavery-era plantation equipment, and traditional religious items. Arts and crafts.

“Packed with more than 3,000 artefacts from Brazil’s five-century history, the Museu Afro Brasil relates how Brazil’s history is inextricably tied to the experience of African slaves and their descendants through culture and traditions that have come to define the country.”

He explained further that there were so many statues, photographs, illustrations, masks, dolls, clothes, documents, paintings, furniture, pieces of plantation equipment, installations and mementoes, saying, “It’s almost impossible to take in the whole place in one go.

“The printed information is almost exclusively in Portuguese, but the museum provides English-speaking guides, and the back stories behind every single object are at once harrowing and hopeful.

“It is hands down one of the best museums in Latin America,” the statement added.