Departments > Training and Research

Conference:
"Aguda: aspects of the Afro-Brazilian heritage in the Bight of Benin"

Porto-Novo, November 26-30, 2001

General report

A conference took place in Porto-Novo, capital of Benin, from November 26 to 30, on the theme "Aguda: aspects of the Afro-Brazilian heritage in the Bight of Benin". About 100 people from West Africa, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America, Europe, the Middle-East participated in the works and presented 48 papers in 13 panels, organised as follows:

• Historic perspective on the Afro-Brazilian heritage
• Architecture, technology and economy
• Biographies and family histories
• Languages, literature, religion and aesthetic values
• Family testimonials

The papers widely overreached the boundaries of the Bight of Benin and talked about exchange, transfer of technologies between the two sides of the Atlantic, the impact of the Portuguese language on the Beninese languages, etc. The high level of the presentations led to interesting discussions on slavery, the Aguda and their culture in Brazil and in Africa. No theme was superfluous, and the overall papers proved that our knowledge of the Aguda was scarce and deserved to be bettered. In the case of the Afro-Brazilian architecture for example, we realise that it does not always have the same style from one country of the Bight of Benin to another. A typology needs to be made. This architecture brings about a new organisation of West-African space and possibly in opposition to traditional architecture. But it may also have integrated and assimilated technical aspects found in yoruba traditional architecture for example.

The papers on biographies and family histories showed that the integration of the Afro-Brazilians in the African environment was made easy by local politicians, who almost imposed them to the local populations by enabling them to acquire land easily. Kings needed their technical knowledge which progressively spread to the other parts of the population. The Afro-Brazilians had a socio-economic, educational and religious impact on the Africans among whom they settled. They were the élite and were often models for the local population. Their rigour, sense of well finished work, independence and pride was admired.

The "Aguda" exhibition was opened on November 28^th. The symbolic ribbon was cut by Mr. Moïse BOSSOU, Director of Cabinet representing the president of the National Assembly, who could not come. The first guided visit was conducted by Mr. Alexis ADANDE, commissioner of the exhibition.
The originality of the exhibition, built to travel, is that it depends on family patrimony and therefore it implies a great trust between the parties. It brings together in a symbolic circuit photographs of famous families, personal artefacts, furniture and photographs of high quality architectural elements. The soberness of the exhibition, designed by experts of several African countries, with the help of the EAMAU (Ecole africaine des métiers de l'architecture et de l'urbanisme) for the mock-ups, obliges one to be more than a spectator, and to penetrate the thought that underlies it. Contacts are a source of enrichment and not necessarily of conflict.

The exhibition totalled 11.827 visitors, 90% of which were schoolchildren.

 

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Recommendations

The participants to the "Aguda : aspects of the Afro-Brazilian heritage in the Bight of Benin" conference recommend:

1. A re-definition of the research methods concerning research on the Aguda communities that takes into account their historic and cultural specificities.
2. The teaching of Portuguese as a second language as form secondary school in Benin and the other countries of the Bight of Benin, and the teaching of African languages in Brazil.
3. A periodic international meeting on the Aguda.
4. The preservation of Afro-Brazilian architecture in general, and of the central mosque of Porto-Novo in particular, one of the rare examples of the activity of the Aguda in that town.
5. The creation of a museum on the Afro-Brazilian heritage in one of the countries of the Bight of Benin.
6. A diplomatic representation of Brazil in Benin and vice versa.
7. The creation of an Association of Brazilian Africans of Africa.
8. The tightening of links between descendants of the Aguda and their partners.
9. A greater partnership between researchers and NGOs for the renaissance of the Aguda community.
10. The publication of the main papers of the conference, that UNESCO's Slave Route Project could take in charge.

Porto-Novo, November 30^th 2001
Adopted unanimously,
The participants

 

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Motion of thanks

The participants to the international "Aguda : aspects of the Afro-Brazilian heritage in the Bight of Benin" conference thank:

• The Beninese State and Government for their moral and financial support and to have authorised the organisation of the colloquium and the exhibition
• The Ford Foundation
• UNESCO
• The town of Porto-Novo
• The President of the Beninese National Assembly
• The Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA)
• The rector of Abomey-Calavi University
• The Institut Béninois d'Etudes et de Recherche sur la Diaspora Africaine (IBERDA)

for their participation and their financial support.

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil
• The Nigerian Hinterland Project
• The Aguda Community
• Maison internationale de la Culture of Porto-Novo (conference center)
• The Bibliothèque départementale of the Ouémé district (library)
• The Jardin des Plantes et de la Nature

for their support for the success of this conference.

Porto-Novo, November 30^th 2001
The participants