Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso has called for greater and closer cultural ties between Nigeria and the Republic of Brazil. Cardoso made the call at a special programme held at the Legislative Chamber of Federal District of Brasilia, Brazil in honour of President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, Professor Wole Soyinka, and himself.
This was during the recent visit to Brazil President Tinubu.
Going down history lane, Cardoso, who himself is a descendant of Black returnees from Brazil, said the shared history between Nigeria and Brazil built over so many years, and similarities in cultures, have made having closer ties between the two countries imperative.
He said: “When we talk about similarities with Nigeria, especially in Lagos, I said there is a Brazilian community made up of descendants of Africans who returned to Africa from Brazil after the abolition of slavery.
“These community has preserved some Brazilian cultural practices like celebration to honour the patron Saints of Bahia of Brazil, carnival and many others. Carnival is not just in Brazil, the Brazilian community in Lagos also holds carnival.
“In the area of architecture, the Brazilian quarter in Lagos Island with its many cultural, archaeological and architectural artifacts, offers a rich area for further studies.
The CBN Governor further noted; “Then of course, we have by exchange of visit, which builds stronger ties between communities. “In 2006, I convinced the then Governor of Lagos State, to come to Bahia, and the idea was to sign a protocol of cooperation between Salvador and Lagos.
“We had already exchanged the documentation between the two places, when the Governor came unfortunately, the first person he met at the time was the Governor of the State of Bahia, and he took him on a helicopter tour of Bahia, after that he went to see the Mayor of Salvador. “The mayor and the Governor of Salvador were from two different parties and elections were around the corner, so that was the end of that project as he refused to sign.
“Notwithstanding, we were still able to bring some delegations from Bahia to Lagos, especially during the carnival. We brought a couple of the groups to the carnival to train and work with the carnivals that were being held in Lagos Island.”
Cardoso said with greater and understanding and strong and unprecedented bond between President Tinubu and the Brazilian President, which has led to the recommencement of direct flight between Nigeria and Brazil, there is a greater opportunity for the two countries to do more.
He spoke further: “Already, there are the pockets of excellence that are already going on with respect to advancing the current Afro-Brazilian heritage for example, the Lagos State University Centre for Afro-Brazilian study with about 650 students, of Portuguese language, established in 2019 to promote economic and social partnership between Nigeria and Brazil.
“One of the objectives is to foster collaboration between Nigeria and Brazil through research, courses lectures, exchange visits, seminars and publications. In addition, the centre offers training that prepares student for the Brazilian certificate of Portuguese language required for scholarships in Brazil and assigned corporations with several institutions in Brazil. It also promotes academic synergy and cultural exchange. The person who directs that particular centre is here with us, Professor Ajayi.”
Also speaking at the occasion, the co-coordinator of Heritage Voyage of Return (HVR), Mr Ajoyemi Osunleye, spoke on the project: “Since I met Professor Wole Soyinka, I have learned something from him, and it is good to shock everybody here. It has changed my life totally. I never do anything again on this project thinking about money; never, it is very important to me, and I pay attention to this.
” It has changed my life because I sacrificed my life to do this. And I also appreciate our CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, for the support, not only for anything else but being present.”
On the HVR project, Osunleye said: “Many years ago, many people were kidnapped from Africa, and two brothers were separated. Imagine if your child today was just missing for two hours; you will go crazy. That was exactly what happened to our ancestors many years ago. They were separated; a part remained in Africa, and a part came here.
“This is what I want you to carry from here, from this wonderful Gate of Return, that we are going to take our brothers from here to connect our brothers back home in Africa. This is what is going to happen in Nigeria, Africa, the largest and powerhouse of Africa, and Brazil, the powerhouse of South America. Imagine when we start connecting, we are going to form a new direction to the world.”
