I've been quiet here because I've been focusing on providing immense value to my amazing clients, growing my contract business with Universities and private organizations, and I've been creating new ideas for trips.
Ever since I was a kid in fourth grade, I've been enamored with the Amazon rainforest. And it pains me to know that it's being destroyed at an alarming rate.
I want to see, touch, and taste the Amazon. I want to know the heart of the region that provides oxygen to the world. And I wanna do it in luxury.
Next year you can join me on this adventure that will leave you breathless in the very place known as the Lungs of the World.
On November 1st I'm releasing the full itinerary and pricing.
I hope you won't miss your chance to see it before it's gone.
Oh, one small detail: After spending a few days in the jungle, you'll jet off to the vibrant city of Salvador da Bahia to experience Brazil's Blackest city with its music and flavorful cuisine, and folks that could be our cousins!
Get on the list to be informed when this amazing trip goes live!
www.afrobuenaventura.com/amazontrip
Learn this Portuguese word...
There's a concept among Black Brazilians that I can't quite translate from Portuguese to English.
It is the verb "aquilombar" (Ah-Keeh-Lom-Bar).
Enslaved Africans that rebelled and ran away from the Portuguese colonial plantations founded maroon communities called quilombos (Keeh-Lom-Bohs).
These places of refuge fortified themselves against outside threats, and maintained self-sufficiency in order to survive in the dense jungle far away from Portuguese rule.
Within the safety of quilombos, African music, culture, religion, and even languages, thrived.
I find this safety each year at @feirapretaoficial, Brazil's largest festival celebrating Black arts, culture, and entrepreneurship. In essence, it is an urban quilombo.
Founded by @adrianapreta more than 20 years ago, its a space for Black joy, wellness, and resistance through the arts and business.
I have previously hated Sao Paulo. As the world's 12th most populous city, I always felt lost. But this year, it was different.
Reconnecting with the same friends that welcomed me to Brazil during my first visit in 2019, learning about the city's Black history on tours with @guianegro , exploring @museuafrobrasilemanoelaraujo and @masp, eating at @preto.cozinha, attending @isaacsilvabrand fashion show soundscaped by @blocoileaiye, tasting wine with @afrovinho, and buying from Black owned businesses like @mimosdamata @berilodecor and others, made me feel so damn good!
To aquilombar in a city like Sao Paulo is an act of resistance and survival.
✨BTW—I am designing a group trip to Sao Paulo for next year's Feira Preta. If you wanna go, type QUILOMBO in the comments!
Learn this Portuguese word...
There's a concept among Black Brazilians that I can't quite translate from Portuguese to English.
It is the verb "aquilombar" (Ah-Keeh-Lom-Bar).
Enslaved Africans that rebelled and ran away from the Portuguese colonial plantations founded maroon communities called quilombos (Keeh-Lom-Bohs).
These places of refuge fortified themselves against outside threats, and maintained self-sufficiency in order to survive in the dense jungle far away from Portuguese rule.
Within the safety of quilombos, African music, culture, religion, and even languages, thrived.
I find this safety each year at @feirapretaoficial, Brazil's largest festival celebrating Black arts, culture, and entrepreneurship. In essence, it is an urban quilombo.
Founded by @adrianapreta more than 20 years ago, its a space for Black joy, wellness, and resistance through the arts and business.
I have previously hated Sao Paulo. As the world's 12th most populous city, I always felt lost. But this year, it was different.
Reconnecting with the same friends that welcomed me to Brazil during my first visit in 2019, learning about the city's Black history on walking tours, exploring local museums, eating at Black owned restaurants, attending a fashion show, tasting wine with a Black sommelier, and buying from Black owned businesses made me feel so damn good!
To aquilombar in a city like Sao Paulo is an act of resistance and survival.
✨BTW—I am designing a group trip to Sao Paulo for next year's Feira Preta. If you wanna go, type QUILOMBO in the comments!
A spiritual and cultural experience for Black women, facilitated by Black women, and celebrating Black womanhood during a century-old festival honoring a Black maternal goddess named Iemanjá.
Ancestral Spirits: A Celebration of Iemanjá is a convergence of an appreciation for Black womanhood, and an intimate opportunity for you to tap into the ancestral heritage of the African diaspora, exploring its legacy in modern-day Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.
Arriving in Salvador, you'll be greeted by African drums in the streets, flavorful dishes with West African ingredients, the tenderness of wisdom that found its way across the Atlantic via the sheer will of our ancestors, and a sun that illuminates this paradisiacal setting and recharges melanin-rich skin.
My intention for offering travel experiences like this is that travelers like you return home feeling a sense of transformation.
Kiara, a healer and social worker from Atlanta said that she felt the ancestors present in everything she did and each place she visited; and that she was able to see herself in her fullness through this experience.
Ashley, a timid and soft-spoken New Yorker that works in communications said that the spiritual cleansing she had was amazing. She also got an authentic perspective on the city itself, and valued supporting black-owned businesses; and she felt safe the entire time.
Ancestral Spirits: A Celebration of Iemanjá next January 29 - February 4, 2024.
Come, and you’ll be making the choice to celebrate yourself, your ancestors, and to positively impact the people of Brazil’s Blackest city.
Get all the details and full itinerary here: afrobuenaventura.com/ancestral-spirits-itinerary
You've never heard of this Brazilian festival created by an exclusive sisterhood of Black women...
Just a short drive from Salvador da Bahia, is Cachoeira. Once a key commercial hub, and having played a pivotal role in the fight for independence, the town is now quieter, but still historically and culturally significant. Each August, it is home to the Festa da Boa Morte.
The "Festa da Boa Morte," which translates to "Festival of the Good Death" in English, is an annual celebration blends elements of African, indigenous, and Catholic religious traditions, reflecting Brazil's rich cultural heritage.
The festival honors Our Lady of the Good Death, a syncretic figure blending Catholicism with African spiritual beliefs, particularly from the Yoruba religion. The festival typically occurs in August and lasts for several days, featuring colorful processions, music, dance, and religious rituals.
One of the central themes of the Festa da Boa Morte is the celebration of life and the acceptance of death as a natural part of the human experience. Participants, often women from Afro-Brazilian religious brotherhoods known as "irmandades," dress in traditional attire, including white dresses adorned with symbolic elements.
Throughout the festival, there are ceremonies dedicated to Our Lady of the Good Death, as well as offerings made to honor ancestors and promote spiritual well-being. The festival also serves as a platform for preserving and promoting Afro-Brazilian cultural traditions, including music genres like samba de roda and capoeira.
The Festa da Boa Morte is not only a religious event but also a cultural celebration that highlights the resilience and creativity of Brazil's Afro-descendant communities. It attracts visitors from across Brazil and around the world who come to experience its unique blend of spirituality, history, and artistic expression.
I am thinking about crafting a 6 day travel experience with a stop in Cachoeira for this festival, along with stop
