This week, 10 museum professionals from Brazil visited Washington, D.C., to engage in the Department of State’s Afro-Connections program, a two-year exchange initiative aimed at fostering collaboration and mutual understanding between the United States and Brazil. The program focuses on promoting the development of cultural institutions that amplify the voices, history, and culture of communities of African descent.
During their visit, the participants had the opportunity to meet with cultural heritage experts, museum curators, and U.S. government officials. A key event was their attendance at the launch of the newest exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World. This exhibition delves into the histories and legacies of slavery, colonialism, and the global struggle for freedom, offering an international perspective on these important themes.
The Afro-Connections program is a collaboration between the Smithsonian, the U.S. Mission Brazil, and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Smithsonian’s Office of Global Affairs. It celebrates a shared commitment between the United States and Brazil to preserve both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, reflecting the rich, multi-ethnic, and multi-racial democracies of both nations. The program’s primary goals include expanding participants’ capacity to establish new cultural institutions and enhancing the ability of existing ones to protect, curate, and exhibit Afro-Brazilian history and culture.
Afro-Connections was officially announced in May 2024 by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Elizabeth Frawley Bagley at Brazil’s National Archive in Rio de Janeiro. The initiative is part of the Cultural Heritage Center’s broader Heritage Exchange Initiatives, a series of projects designed to engage cultural heritage professionals and community stewards around the world on key issues affecting heritage preservation.
This exchange program underscores the strong ties of friendship between the United States and Brazil, built on shared experiences and a mutual commitment to cultural heritage preservation.