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In Lagos, Nigeria, a vibrant twice-yearly festival rooted in Brazilian carnival traditions celebrates the cultural heritage of those who returned from the transatlantic slave trade. About 5 million enslaved Africans were taken to the then-Portuguese colony. That’s far more than any other country. Thousands then returned to the African continent, including the maternal ancestors of NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu, who brings us this report.
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EMMANUEL AKINWOTU, BYLINE: Nigerians never need an excuse to have a party, but as excuses go, the Fanti Carnival stands out.
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AKINWOTU: It takes place in Lagos every Easter and Christmas and has been an on-and-off ritual for over a century, celebrated by communities descended from returnees from the transatlantic slave trade to Brazil.
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AKINWOTU: On the narrow, congested streets of Lagos Island, a historic pocket of the city, a band of blaring trumpets and talking drums leads a march of hundreds of men, women and small children. They’re dressed in elaborate red sequins, glittering masks and embroidered costumes of ostriches, bulls and riders mounted on live horses.
DAMILARE PEDRO MARCHAL: The carnival is very much important to every one of us. Every year, we must celebrate the festival. Every year.
AKINWOTU: Fifty-six-year-old Afro-Brazilian Damilare Pedro Marchal (ph) is one of thousands at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium, pressed against the metal barriers, watching as the bands arrive. She was a child when she first saw the carnival in her neighborhood in Lagos, a community that also happens to be where my maternal great, great, great grandparents settled in the late 19th century.
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MARCHAL: (Laughter) Maybe. Maybe, like, when I was 15 years.
AKINWOTU: How has it changed from when you were a child to now?
MARCHAL: Yes, very much. Very, very much changed. We are very much more than ever before. Very, very popular now.
AKINWOTU: What used to simply be a procession through local communities has morphed in recent years into a grander spectacle, backed by growing sponsorship from major companies and political support from the Lagos government.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGER #1: (Singing in non-English language).
AKINWOTU: And the changes are evident, with more elaborate costumes and choreography, meshing Europa (ph) symbolism with Brazilian cultural imagery, like the Bumba Meu Boi, a bull with horns draped in gold and tinsel. A cast of major artists like Afrobeat star Teni and Terry Apala perform on the main stage.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGER #1: (Singing in non-English language).
AKINWOTU: By sunset, the stadium slowly empties, but the celebrations are far from over.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGER #2: (Singing in non-English language).
AKINWOTU: They last late into the night in Popo Aguda, the Brazilian quarters in Lagos Island, where the architectural traces of returnees are still faintly visible in the few old baroque-style homes and buildings. Tables line the streets and a live band plays on a stage while the smell of grilled chicken and fish fill the air.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGER #3: (Singing in non-English language).
ADUKE GOMEZ: It’s a great – and it’s a great excuse to have a party.
AKINWOTU: Aduke Gomez is an Afro-Brazilian and adviser to the Fanti Festival.
GOMEZ: But it’s a story of hope. It’s a story of resilience. It is a commemoration of the welcome that some people were able to make it back home.
AKINWOTU: And fittingly, at the nearby Afro-Brazilian cultural center, the night ends with samba.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGER #4: (Singing in non-English language).
AKINWOTU: Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR News, Lagos.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGER #3 AND UNIDENTIFIED SINGER #4: (Singing in non-English language). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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