This past spring break, a group of 17 Marist students and two teachers, Jose Gregory and Jeanette Stewart, traveled down to Brazil for the week.
During their journey through Brazil, students learned how parts of the AP African-American class applied to life. They flew down to Brazil and then took a bus to different parts of the South-American country.
Because this trip was our school’s first ever to Brazil and held such a profound meaning for students who attended it, it is an event that should be widely known in our community.
Senior Angel Akumabor was part of the group who traveled to Brazil. “The most meaningful part of the trip was learning about the culture and seeing how our AP African-American class concepts apply to real life,” she said.
The trip began in Rio, where students rode gondolas up Sugarloaf Mountain, attended Mass at Igreja Matriz De Nossa Senhora Da Glória, and saw the Christ the Redeemer Statue. While attending Mass, they got to witness the “big Catholicism culture in Brazil,” said Akumabor.
After Rio, they took the bus to Salvador, where they went to the Church of the Rosary of Black People, saw a performance based on Bahian folkloric dances of African origin called Bale Folclorico Da Bahia, went to the Church of Bonfim, and enjoyed Porto da Barra Beach.
They also took a Capoeira class. “The Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that it’s also with the dance,” said Akumabor.
After their Capoeira class, they went to see the Quilombo community. “The Quilombos are places where runaway slaves could escape and form communities,” said Akumabor. It’s really nice to see how these communities have lasted for centuries, and are still an integral part of the country,” she added.
Following the Quilombo community, they went to the Order of the Lady of the Good Death, a Catholic group that blends Catholic beliefs with Afro-Brazilian culture. They participated in a samba-reggae percussion workshop.
The group of students and teachers then went to the Museu Casa Do Rio Vermelho De Jorge Amado, the former home of renowned Brazilian writers Jorge Amado and Zélia Gattai.
They concluded their trip at the Colorful Steps of Rio, and Akumabor said her biggest takeaway was “seeing how other countries are so different from America. Everyone has such different lifestyles and getting to live life in a different way was really nice to experience.”
