These whirling women lead rituals during the syncretic Festival of the Divine Holy Spirit, a tradition in the northeastern Brazilian state of Maranhão. They’re here in São Paulo for one week (everything comes here). The elderly lady who opens the video is in her 80s! She was being possessed by the orixá, an African spirit […]
Dança das Caixeiras Maranhenses Read More
Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates’ PBS series Black in Latin America looks into the African element of Latin American societies and investigates both the accomplishments and disappointments of Afro-Latinos in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. In the second instalment of the series, he visits the largest of the Greater Antilles, sitting
Thoughts on Part Two of ‘Black in Latin America’: Cuba Read More
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From the AV Room: My City, Five Ways Read More
Dr. Henry Louis Gates, star professor of African-American studies at Harvard University, has just completed a four-part documentary on the African diaspora in Latin America – titled ‘Black in Latin America – that’s currently airing on PBS (last episode, tomorrow night). He’s visited Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Mexico and Peru to shed light
Thoughts on Part One of ‘Black in Latin America: Haiti & the DR’ Read More
• Everything is so clean. • Everything is so cheap. • There are indeed a few loud, obnoxious American douchebags. Conversely, most Americans are friendly, polite, and helpful. • Products come in too much unnecessary packaging. • The weather couldn’t be any more pleasant than in Northeast Florida in spring. • At 72, my mother
Thoughts of an American Expatriate After a Spur-of-the-Moment Weekend Trip Home Read More
From Your Sonic Beauty Case to Metrosensual to Bad Timing, masterful Swiss duo Audio Lotion makes me want to live in their albums.
Global Juke Joint: Fly with Audio Lotion Read More
Sometimes, I stumble upon photographs and other memorabilia that draws me in, reminding me of the transitory nature of culture and of travel itself. Often, what attracts us to a place isn’t the place by itself, but the place at a specific time. Timing is everything, after all. The 1970s were Venezuela’s time. With the
Time Travel: Caracas 1970s Read More
Feeling uninspired these days? Want to travel, but can’t? Eat Pray Love just not looking all that relatable to your demographic? Then check these out on DVD: four of my favorite black expat films, each one detailing an experience that I can relate to one way or another, from running away to running towards. The
The Best Black Expat Films (Not that there are very many, anyway.) Read More
Vai-Vai in São Paulo and Beija-Flor de Nilópolis in Rio Incidentally, I’ve been with Vai-Vai since jump: And the party’s still not over…the champions’ parade is tonight! Please don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @FlyBrother, and “like” me on Facebook! You can subscribe, too!
Carnival 2011: And the Winners Are… Read More
Through all the color and pageantry of seven samba schools competing for the top prize on the first night of São Paulo’s Sambadrome competition, one dark and controversial issue reared its head in the most beautiful and touching ways. The Acadêmicos do Tucuruvi samba school (less a school in the traditional sense than a Carnival
“Reconheço Meu Valor” Read More
