Antony J. Blinken 71st U.S. Secretary of State | Official Website
The U.S. Department of State has introduced Afro-Connections, a new exchange program aimed at museum and cultural heritage professionals from Brazil. The initiative seeks to promote ethical and inclusive museum practices that emphasize community engagement and highlight the voices, history, and culture of communities of African descent.
Afro-Connections was developed by the Department’s Cultural Heritage Center within the Bureau of Educational Affairs (ECA), in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and Office of Global Affairs. The Smithsonian will implement the program, with activities set to begin later this year. This initiative is part of the Center’s new Heritage Exchange Initiatives, which aim to engage cultural heritage professionals globally on priority issues affecting heritage.
The program supports the goals outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of State and the Smithsonian Institution signed in December 2023. It will provide participants with insights into how U.S. museums incorporate the history and culture of African descendants and other historically marginalized communities into national narratives. Additionally, it aims to enhance participants' capacity to establish new institutions or improve existing ones that protect, curate, and support Afro-Brazilian history and culture through exchanges between Brazilian and American colleagues.
U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Elizabeth Frawley Bagley announced Afro-Connections at Brazil’s National Archive in Rio de Janeiro alongside Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and Cultural Heritage Center staff. The event was attended by Brazilian government officials, curators, and scholars.
For more information on this program, please visit http://eca.state.gov/cultural-heritage-center or contact ECA-press@state.gov.
