Afro-diasporic networks: Abdias Nascimento and the politics of (self-)exile

Abstract

Abdias Nascimento was a key leader in the Black movement in Brazil. His cultural and political trajectory began with the founding of the Teatro Experimental do Negro (1944), his participation in the Movimento Negro Unificado (1978), and his roles as Federal Deputy and Senator. During the military dictatorship, between 1964 and 1969, he faced repression due to his connections with African liberation movements and his anti-racist activism through Black theater. In 1968, he accepted an invitation for an academic exchange in the United States, where he remained in exile for thirteen years. This theoretical review article aims to reconstruct Abdias Nascimento's trajectory during his self-exile, highlighting the networks and experiences he established with North American and African movements. Through a qualitative methodological approach with an emphasis on documentary research, we analyze biographical accounts of his life and work, as well as his intellectual productions, to trace the paths Nascimento forged within the international movements he engaged with. The research revealed that Nascimento became a significant figure in arts and cultural movements in the United States, actively participating in initiatives such as the Black Arts Movement. Furthermore, his participation in Pan-Africanist gatherings and his engagements with African liberation struggles are examined. The analysis of his biographical narratives and intellectual contributions underscores the importance of his voice in the fight against racial oppression, the promotion of Black culture, and his pivotal role in fostering a Latin American Black consciousness while denouncing structural racism in Brazil.