Gantt Center Hosts Trip To Brazil November 2015

Eight Day Itinerary Highlights Afro-Brazilian Culture and History

The Harvey B. Gantt Center will partner with Cross Cultural Journeys (CCJ)  – the group who lead the Center’s successful trip to Cuba in 2014 – to host an 8-day/7-night tour of Salvador da Bahia and Rio de Janiero, Brazil November 7 – 14, 2015.  CCJ has customized a trip for Gantt Center patrons to explore the African influence in Brazil: its people, culture, history and music.

“We began considering our next international destination while we were in Cuba last year,” says Gantt Center President & CEO David Taylor. “The African presence is evident in Brazil and everyone we surveyed agreed that the country remains a significant piece of the puzzle as we look at the African diaspora.  We see this trip as another great opportunity to explore other cultures with Gantt Center supporters and friends.”

Salvador da Bahia was a major entry point during the transatlantic slave trade and is a city steeped in African culture—it boasts the largest number of Africa’s descendants outside of the African continent.  Rio is a confluence of European, African, and Amerindian practices and is home to the world-renowned Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Christ the Redeemer, and Samba.

Highlights of the trip in Salvador include:

• An opportunity to experience Candomblé  traditions and to join in Amalá de Xangô, a weekly public ritual paying homage to the house saint
• A tour and dining in the Pelourinho neighborhood, an UNESCO World Heritage site
• An interactive percussion workshop with a local musician
• Meeting with community members of a hinterland settlement founded by escaped slaves

In Rio, highlights include:

• Visiting Christ the Redeemer, one of the world’s most celebrated urban landmarks
• A private discussion with staff at the Research and Heritage Institute of the New Blacks — a  name given to captives from Africa who arrived in the mid-19th century — to learn how their history has  been unveiled in recent decades
• Experiencing Cais do Valongo, a main port of entry for the more than four million African slaves transported to Brazil

A detailed, daily itinerary is listed on the Gantt Center’s website, www.ganttcenter.org.

The cost for the November 2015 journey is $3945 per person, double occupancy.  Harper Roddey Society members — those who contribute $1000+ annually to the Gantt Center — receive a discounted rate of $3,645 per person, double occupancy.  A $500 deposit (per person) is required to reserve a space.   Travelers can contact Gantt Center COO Bonita Buford at bbuford@ganttcenter.org or 704.547.3766 for additional details.  Participation is open to the community.

Institutional trips are not new for the Gantt Center.  Before moving to its Uptown facility in 2009, the Center organized annual trips to the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta, the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem and to Gullah festivals in South Carolina.

“We look forward to discovering Afro-Brazilian artists and exploring the cultural similarities – and differences – that we are sure to find in Salvador and Rio de Janiero,” said Taylor.

The tour leader, Cross Cultural Journeys, was established in 1998 to promote global awareness and foster sustainable development in the countries where Cross Cultural Journeys visits.

About Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture

The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture is a multi-disciplinary arts institution located in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1974, the Gantt Center’s mission is to present, preserve and celebrate excellence in the art, history and culture of African-Americans and those of African descent through visual and literary arts, dance music, film, educational programs, theatre productions and community outreach. The Gantt Center features fine art exhibitions from around the world and is home to the nationally celebrated John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art, which was generously donated by Bank of America, and is accessible online.

Named for Charlotte civic leader and former mayor Harvey Bernard Gantt, the Gantt Center is housed in an iconic, award-winning structure designed by architect Philip Freelon, co-designer of the Smithsonian National Museum for African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

Contact
Ingrid Travis James
ingrid@ganttcenter.org
(704) 547-3764

Posted on Tuesday, March 03, 2015

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