Youth Empowerment and Community Engagement through Cultural Arts Education – 2027

Overview

The population of the state of Bahia in Northeast Brazil is majority African descent (80%). Bahia, and particularly Itaparica Island in the Bay of All Saints – the site of this Duke Engage program – is rich in Afro-Brazilian history and cultural practices. Yet many of the communities that are the caretakers of this history and culture suffer from a severe lack of infrastructure, security, adequate schools and employment opportunities. In Vera Cruz, a municipality of 44,000 residents on Itaparica Island, school dropout and unemployment rates are high. The Bantu Institute, located in a community of several hundred families in Vera Cruz, offers Afro-Brazilian cultural practices, academic tutoring, and employment skills training to youth ages 6-19. The mission of the Institute is to empower youth to take pride in their heritage and to raise consciousness about racial and socio-economic injustice in Brazil. Tutoring and job skill training amplify this mission by helping youth stay in school and gain employment, so as to improve living conditions for themselves and their families and help uplift the community.  Duke students will immerse themselves in daily life and special projects at the Institute (see below for a list of possible activities). Students will also attend Portuguese classes to assist them in their work at the Institute and will have the opportunity to learn capoeira and percussion alongside the youth at the Institute.  Excursions and enrichment activities will introduce students to Afro-Brazilian history, religion, cuisine and performance in Bahia.  Weekly reflections with the Site Coordinator, Program Director and/or Institute Director will help students to understand NGO work and the particular mission of the Institute within the larger framework of systemic racism in Brazil.

Community Partnership(s)

The Bantu Project is an international NGO that operates in Brazil, Australia and the Philippines. The Project was founded in 2006 by Edielson Miranda (Mestre Roxinho) while he was living in Australia and working with young refugees from East Africa. In 2020, Mestre Roxinho returned to his hometown of Vera Cruz, Brazil, to serve his own community. Since its opening, the Bantu Institute has expanded its operations to include an educational center in Salvador and a restaurant/culinary school on the Island that provides additional skill training and employment for youth who have aged out of Institute programming.

Students will be involved in the daily operations and special projects at the Bantu Institute, which may include:

• Assisting with capoeira, music, art and literacy classes for the younger youth
• Assisting with English classes for older youth preparing for college entrance exams
• Assisting with the programming for mothers of the community (yoga, arts and crafts, employment skills)
• Helping to plan and implement a cultural festival (Festa Junina) for families of the community
• Assisting in the garden
• Helping with community multirões (work parties): previous projects have included paving a road with recycled tires and renovating a new space

Program Requirements

Language: While there is no language requirement, preference will be given to students who speak or are currently studying Portuguese (Spanish speakers are also prioritized). Students with no Portuguese will be strongly encouraged to study it spring semester prior to departure. While the director and a few of the volunteers at the Bantu Institute speak English, most of the community members do not. Students with no Portuguese should thus be willing and comfortable to begin learning, or improving, their Portuguese through daily exposure and practice, including a required Portuguese class with a local teacher throughout the two months of the program.

Coursework: no requirements but courses in Portuguese, Brazil or capoeira (Capoeira: Culture and Practice (CulAnth 221/AAA 221/ Dance 235) is offered Spring 2027) will enrich your experience. An Independent Study with the Program Director may be required for spring semester prior to departure.

Skills: no specific skills are required, but previous experience working with youth, or teaching English, would be helpful, and an interest in dance and music is a plus!

Personal Qualities:  flexible, outgoing, enjoys working with youth, willing to take initiatives, comfortable with unstructured time.  This program is designed as an immersive experience for Duke students to learn from and with a community about its strengths, challenges and needs. The Bantu Institute responds to the needs of the community as they arise. Thus, students should not expect a fixed schedule but be ready to spend their days from 8 am – 4 pm at the Institute helping with whatever comes up. There may also be opportunities to suggest and implement new activities and projects.

Logistics

Housing, meals, and transportation: Students will stay together in a hostel a 30-minute walk from the Institute. There are single and double occupancy rooms and bathrooms are communal. There is a kitchen, and outdoor patio for washing and drying clothes. There are nearby restaurants and supermarkets. Breakfast (fruit, yogurt, bread, eggs, grits) will be provided every morning at the hostel and students will eat lunches (rice, beans, protein, vegetables, salad) at the Institute Monday – Thursday along with the staff. Dietary restrictions can be accommodated. Students will get to and from the Institute by walking or other vetted modes of transportation. Trips to farther destinations will be in a van with a vetted driver and will involve a 45 minute ferry ride to the mainland.

Local safety, security, and cultural norms: We encourage students who have questions or concerns about health or safety in international programs to check Duke’s International SOS (ISOS) portal for relevant information. If you have special needs related to health, culture, disability, or religious practices, please contact the program director(s) or the DukeEngage office to discuss whether your needs can be accommodated in this program.

For guidance on how race, religion, sexual/gender identity, ability, or other aspects of identity might impact your travels, we suggest exploring the Diversity, Identity and Global Travel section of the DukeEngage website.

Academic Connections

This program is open to all students and might especially appeal to those taking courses in Cultural Anthropology, African and African American Studies, International and Comparative Studies, Education, Dance, Portuguese and Latin American/Brazilian studies.  Students who have previously participated in a Study Abroad or Bass Connections in Rio de Janeiro are especially encouraged to apply.