Listening to the Echoes of the South Atlantic Listening to the Echoes of the South Atlantic | Page 10

(Left and Right) Anita Ekman with Hugo Germano, Sandra Benites, Nzo Oula, Dani Ornellas, and Marcelo de Macedo Noronha Performance ”Tupi Valongo Cemetery of the New Blacks and Old
Indians” (Salvador, 2018). Photo: Taylia de Paula
Images of the National Serra da Capivara Park (Piauí), projected in the background,
appear in rhythm with Pankararu indigenous chants that create an immersive
environment. Later on, the same voice questions the place of indigenous women in
history and the violent processes of colonization that have marked Latin America,
and, more specifically, Brazil: “Seventy percent of the population brought to the
Tumbeiros was male. It was us women who hid them in our jungles when they needed
shelter”.
Collaborating with the actor Hugo Germano at the Echoes of the South Atlantic
conference in Salvador da Bahia in 2018, new concerns were addressed in a
performance that addressed the fact that thousands of young, impoverished blacks
continue to be discriminated against and murdered. These injustices first began at the
biggest port of entry of enslaved human beings to Brazil, Valongo Pier—a location
that has become a quintessential symbol of violence against humanity. Located very
close to this port is the site where the bodies of thousands of Africans were buried.
This cemetery, which was a former Tupi Indian village and also a Sambaqui Indian
cemetery, is known as Cemitério dos Pretos Novos (Cemetery of the New Blacks).
Extending the narrative from history to the present day, the memory of councilwoman
Marielle Franco was also poignantly brought to the fore. Brutally assassinated on
March 14, 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, the crime against her still remains unsolved. By
featuring the last testimony of Marielle Franco at the City Council of Rio de Janeiro,
when she spoke up about her place in Brazilian politics as an elected councilwoman,
Ekman’s work creates a powerful dialogue between past, and present, while also
questioning what lies ahead in the future.
Cássio Bomfim also combines multiple narratives, and bridges the gap between
past and present, between spirituality and urbanity, through interventions that are
as visual as they are sonic. His ongoing body of work, Salve Exu Motoboy, includes
photographs, videos, and live narratives, as well as a fashion collection, often presented
on the streets as part of a performance or intervention. The musical dimension is
integral to his artistic practice, reflecting his ongoing interest in the crossover between
contemporary funk carioca music and various forms of Afro-Brazilian religious
music. He often collaborates with the Brazilian composer, singer and percussionist
Alessandra Leão, who is renowned for her crossover between Afro-Brazilian musical
traditions and contemporary music. For this version of the work Bomfim works with
performers who he guides to embody the different spirits that are represented in
his fashion collection, such as Umbanda master spirits, pomba giras (Afro-Brazilian
spirits evoked by practitioners of Umbanda), and the contemporary motoboy figure
(motorbike messengers prevalent throughout urban Brazil). Alessandra Leão’s most