Brazil and Benin this week installed the Committee for the Implementation of Cultural Agreements between the countries, as a way of expanding cooperation in the arts, audiovisual and cultural heritage. The installation took place during the Festival of Ancestral Cultures, in the cities of Cotonou and Ouidá, in Benin, when the spirituality and traditions of the West African country are celebrated. The event runs until this Sunday (12).
The program featured a performance by the Bahia Folklore Ballet.
A mission with representatives of the federal government, led by the Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, completed an agenda in the country, which included meetings with authorities from Benin, including the mayor of Ouidá, Christian Houétchénou. The Brazilian delegation is made up of the Secretary of Audiovisual, Joelma Gonzaga; the president of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan), Leandro Grass; the president of the Palmares Cultural Foundation, João Jorge; and representatives from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Racial Equality, the government of Bahia and the city of Salvador.
According to Iphan, the creation of the committee was agreed during the visit of the president of Benin, Patrice Talon, to Brazil, in 2024. During the visit, an agreement was signed to “boost cultural, artistic, museological and heritage cooperation between two countries”.
According to the institute, the Cultural Cooperation Agreement, dated July 11, 1972, provides for bilateral initiatives in agriculture, health, education, infrastructure and sport.
“Africa is at the heart of Brazil, and today I can say that Benin occupies this space in an even more important way. The Festival of Ancestral Cultures connects our past to the present, promoting the future of our common ancestry”, declared minister Margareth Menezes, in a note published by the ministry.
* Intern under the supervision of Marcelo Brandão
