Our activities for April 30th took us to the Centro Histórico de Salvador.
We jumped a bus down to Praça da Sé and headed a few blocks over to Elevador Lacerda. Built in 1873, the elevator linked the lower city markets with upper city businesses and residences. After, we lunched at Senac in Pelourinho and explored the historical sites nearby. The square at Pelourinho was used for public whippings and punishments, primarily of African slaves. It was also the site for Michael Jacksons wildly popular collaboration with Olodum “They don’t care about us” in 1996. To this day, there’s still a storefront with lots of MJ swag and the song on endless repeat.
The theme of our day was Colonial Brazil: Opulence and Exploitation. We juxtaposed the excessive wealth and power consolidated in the church Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco against the reality of slavery, violence, and injustice committed against black bodies - forcefully portrayed in a new installation at the Museu Afro Brasileiro da UFBA. We also began to look at the survival and resistance of African culture through capoeira and Candomblé.
Next up - a post by Genesis Paulino '21 on the days events!
