Today I attended a very interesting class at the Paço do Frevo with Manuel Castomo, a dancer/musician artist from Mozambique. It was interesting to hear his story. He uses dance and music to understand his “confused” identity and his ancestry, paying homage to both of his parents through his movement. He talked about his experience coming to Brazil from Mozambique, explaining that many black people in the African diaspora return to Africa to seek their roots and better understand themselves. He, however, left Africa for a part of the diaspora, Brazil, in order to better understand what Africa is and what it means to be African. He has an interesting perspective, that is apparent in the way he moves, speaks, and plays music.
