Mestre Didi's Centennial Celebrated with São Paulo Exhibition Exploring Afro-Brazilian Ancestry

The centennial of Mestre Didi (Deoscóredes Maximiliano dos Santos, 1917-2013) is being honored with the exhibition 'Mo Ki Gbogbo In – Eu saúdo a todos' at Galeria Almeida e Dale in São Paulo, opening April 7. The artist, a plastic artist, writer, and priest from Salvador, dedicated his life to preserving African and Afro-Brazilian ancestral memory through visual, written, and oral narratives. His work is deeply connected to his upbringing in the Ilê Axé Opó Afonjá terreiro, where he learned from figures like Mãe Anininha and his biological mother Mãe Senhora. A 1967 trip to Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, sponsored by UNESCO and undertaken with his wife Juana Elbein dos Santos and photographer Pierre Verger, was pivotal in shaping his understanding of his origins. The exhibition features 48 of his sculptures, presented in partnership with Paulo Darzé Galeria from Salvador, alongside original ibirís and xaxarás and testimonies from the artist. From April 21, a special show curated by Emanoel Araújo titled 'Um Deoscóredes – 100 anos do Alapini Deoscóredes Maximiliano dos Santos' will open at the Museu Afro Brasil. Researcher Antônio Marcos dos Santos Cajé notes that Didi's focus on ancestry extends beyond the religious into broader cultural realms, and that he created a project for children up to 14 years old to learn about their ancestors through stories and oral tradition, viewing this as a political act within his community.