Ação Zumbi brings art and ancestry to PANAFEST 2025 in Ghana
The Embassy of Brazil in Accra on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 hosted a performance of a show dubbed “Amor Negro Amor.”
It was attended by ambassadors of Latin American countries, Ghanaian cultural and tourism authorities, and PANAFEST organisers.
PANAFEST is a festival dedicated to celebrating African heritage and reconnecting the diaspora with its ancestral roots.
The Brazilian cultural collective Ação Zumbi sang and danced to the admiration of the attendees.
Their message encapsulates oneness, love, humanity and peace.
The event signifies celebration of the shared history and cultural connections between Brazil and Ghana.
In a welcome address, Mr Alexandre Souto, Deputy Head of the Brazilian Mission said the Embassy “remains committed to supporting initiatives that promote cultural diplomacy and strengthen Afro-Brazilian and African ties.”
He said the presence of Ação Zumbi in Ghana during PANAFEST 2025 marks a moment of deep historical and symbolic significance for Brazil and for the entire African diaspora.
“PANAFEST is much more than a festival — it is a space of reconnection and identity reaffirmation, where stories, struggles, and aspirations converge. Ação Zumbi’s participation in this context honors the legacy of Zumbi dos Palmares and of so many other leaders who courageously fought for freedom, dignity, and the recognition of African roots in Brazil,” Mr Sotou said.
The Deputy Head of Mission said the Embassy of Brazil in Accra is honoured to host a group that so powerfully embodies the anti-racist struggle, the preservation of Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage, and the pursuit of historical justice. Ação Zumbi represents not only the resistance of the past, but also the transformative action of the present.
“May this visit be fruitful. May the bonds between Brazil and Ghana grow even stronger. And may this participation in PANAFEST inspire new connections, projects, and exchanges between our peoples,” Mr Souto added
Led by Lelete of Ação Zumbi, the group engaged in a powerful artistic and cultural program, including an emotional visit to the Cape Coast Castle, where they performed music on the main stage and at the symbolic Door of Return.
The collective also participated in activities organised by the PANAFEST Committee, interacting with local artists and percussionists, and meeting with the music and dance department at the University of Ghana. In a visit to the Tabom community, at the Brazil House, they held a musical exchange with local residents, deepening the cultural ties between Brazil and Ghana.
The visit is being captured by a Brazilian film crew and will result in a full-length documentary entitled “Ação Zumbi in Ghana – At PANAFEST”, set to be released in the coming months.
Ação Zumbi Lelette Cotou, leader of the collective in her remarks, stressed the need to end racial discrimination.
“We insist, to exist, to be visible for our story to bring to and end racial discrimination. We know it is difficult. But for our performances we think it would touch people’s heart through theatre,” she added.
She said the collective would continue to narrate the stories of women all across the world and tell the story of the violence they suffer.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
