Brazil expands Black Arts initiatives with Maranhão festival and Porto Alegre cultural center

The Ministry of Culture and Afrodite Produções have opened applications for the first edition of the Festival de Artes Cênicas Preta do Maranhão. Submissions are free and online from 9 June to 9 July, with the event scheduled for 13‑17 October 2026 in São Luís and surrounding areas. The festival, funded through the Rouanet Law, seeks to showcase black, Afro‑indigenous and afrodiasporic performing arts, offering fees between R$ 800 and R$ 5 000 and requiring at least 50 % + 1 of participants to self‑identify as black.

In Porto Alegre, the municipality has launched a public call for firms to develop the Centro de Cultura Negra on Largo Zumbi dos Palmares, with proposals due by 15 June. The project is part of the POA Futura and Centro+4D plans, which together mobilise €162 million from the World Bank, the French Development Agency and municipal contributions, within a broader R$ 7 billion urban revitalisation programme. The centre will focus on sustainability, museology and cultural‑tourism strategies to revitalize historic districts and support vulnerable communities.