Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, has called for greater and closer cultural ties between Nigeria and the Republic of Brazil.
Cardoso made the call at a special programme held at the Legislative Chamber of Federal District of Brasilia, Brazil in honour of President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, Professor Wole Soyinka, and himself. This was during the recent visit to Brazil President Tinubu.
Going down history, Cardoso, who himself is a descendant of Black returnees from Brazil, said the shared history between Nigeria and Brazil built over so many years, and similarities in cultures, have made having closer ties between the two countries imperative.
He said: “When we talk about similarities with Nigeria, especially in Lagos, I said there is a Brazilian community made up of descendants of Africans who returned to Africa from Brazil after the abolition of slavery. “These community has preserved some Brazilian cultural practices like celebration to honour the patron Saints of Bahia of Brazil, carnival and many others.
Carnival is not just in Brazil, the Brazilian community in Lagos also holds carnival. “In the area of architecture, the Brazilian quarter in Lagos Island with its many cultural, archaeological and architectural artifacts, offers a rich area for further studies.
The CBN Governor further noted; “Then of course, we have by exchange of visit, which builds stronger ties between communities. “In 2006, I convinced the then Governor of Lagos State, to come to Bahia, and the idea was to sign a protocol of cooperation between Salvador and Lagos.
“We had already exchanged the documentation between the two places, when the Governor came unfortunately, the first person he met at the time was the Governor of the State of Bahia, and he took him on a helicopter tour of Bahia, after that he went to see the Mayor of Salvador.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
