About us

Mission

The American Association of Brazilian Candomblé and Culture provides a safe and authentic space for the exposure and exploration of the traditional nations of Candomblé. We accomplish this through exhibitions of traditional and contemporary Candomblé dance, music, visual art, literature and healing practice. We give voice and venue to the growth of Candomblé in the United States and seek to further connect Candomblé to its sister traditions throughout the Black Atlantic world. The core membership is comprised of practitioners, artists, researchers and supporters, who seek to perpetuate traditional nations of Candomblé.

What we do

Art and Culture

Since 1993, the American Association of Brazilian Candomblé and Culture has been delivering Afro-Brazilian arts and cultural programming to the city of Chicago. To date, we have taken the lead or provided support for 100s of Dance Workshops, Visual Art Exhibitions, Song Workshops, Drum Workshops, Spiritual Gatherings, Spiritual Wellness Consultations, Lectures and Panel Discussions. With the support and spiritual guidance of Iyalorixa Mae Valdete Brito de Ewa and Iyalorixa Vania Amaral de Oya of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, we were able to conceptualize and execute the 1 st Annual Candomblé Symposium in 2014. This historical event was pivotal for Candomblé in the US, as it was the first spiritual Xiré Ceremony in the history of our great city and marked the official launch of the AABCC. Since that time, we have built a community of over 1000 members across the world who are a part of our Facebook and social media family from: Nigeria, to Switzerland, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany and beyond.

Research

The Association is currently in the process of launching an initiative called “Candomblé Connect." This project involves collecting data that documents authentic practices of Candomblé throughout the US. This includes mapping practitioners across the country, their nations, spiritual lineages, and providing tools for a national Candomblé network. Additional areas of research include monitoring traditional Candomblé practices and their exposure to adaptation during the transition to the US and beyond. We believe this data is pivotal, to the diasporic study of African Traditions in the New World. There is vested interest in the retention of traditional practices of Candomblé across the Americas. In theory we seek to prove that Candomblé traditions have enough elasticity to support expansion into North America without losing authenticity.

Advocacy

From the 13 th Edition of the Santo do Suburbio – “For the Sacred Right to Live in Peace” and the ‘People’s Walk Takes To The Streets March’ in November 2023, to the call for justice in the ‘Fight Against Religious Intolerance Movement’, the AABCC stands in complete solidarity and has been an advocate for respect and justice for all Candomblé practitioners across Brazil and the world. The death of Mae Bernadete is just one example of the continued discrimination, religious based terrorism, and acts of religious racism that African Traditional Religious followers face in 2024. The AABCC takes the stance that everyone should have the freedom to practice and believe in accordance with their own cultural and spiritual values. We affirm that God, the Ancestors and the Orixa are with us to help us bring good character and love to the world. We stand on the side of universal justice, love, and light, and walk with those that seek freedom, love, and justice for all.