ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Pedro Tourinho's Cultural Agenda in Salvador Focuses on Afro-Brazilian Economic Prosperity

institutional · 2026-04-23

Pedro Tourinho, Secretary of Culture and Tourism for Salvador, is implementing a cultural policy centered on economic empowerment for the city's Black population, which comprises over 80% of residents. His key initiatives include reopening the Museu Nacional da Cultura Afro-Brasileira (Muncab) in November, creating the 'Novembro Salvador Capital Afro' festival, and increasing support for the city's Blocos Afro. The festival featured events like Afro Fashion Day and the international humanitarian forum Liberatum, which hosted figures including Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. Tourinho also launched SalCine, a municipal audiovisual program offering over 5,000 professional training spots, and is planning public-private partnerships for film studios. He criticizes the lack of substantial private sponsorship for these projects, noting a bias towards Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Other projects include urban revitalization in the Historic Center and the 'Rolês Afro' event in January. Concurrently, numerous exhibitions are running across Brazil, such as 'Barracas e fachadas do nordeste' at Galeria Galatea Salvador, the 4th Frestas Triennial in Sorocaba, 'Solidão Coletiva' by Julio Bittencourt in São Paulo, and 'Claudia Alarcón & Silät: viver tecendo' at MASP.

Key facts

  • Pedro Tourinho leads Salvador's Secretariat of Culture and Tourism with a focus on Afro-Brazilian economic empowerment.
  • The Museu Nacional da Cultura Afro-Brasileira (Muncab) reopened in November after nearly 20 years of issues.
  • The 'Novembro Salvador Capital Afro' festival included over 23 projects like Afro Fashion Day and the Liberatum forum.
  • Liberatum in Salvador featured international Black leaders like Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, and Wole Soyinka.
  • Tourinho launched SalCine, a municipal audiovisual program with over 5,000 training spots and a R$40 million fund.
  • He criticizes the lack of private sponsorship for Afro-centric cultural projects, citing a Rio-São Paulo bias.
  • Blocos Afro now perform daily in Salvador's Historic Center, with renovations planned for groups like Ilê Aiyê.
  • Multiple exhibitions are active, including a triennial in Sorocaba and shows at MASP and the Instituto Moreira Salles.

Entities

Artists

  • Pedro Tourinho
  • Anitta
  • Viola Davis
  • Angela Bassett
  • Taís Araújo
  • Wole Soyinka
  • Margareth Menezes
  • Montez Magno
  • Mari Ra
  • Zé di Cabeça
  • Fabio Miguez
  • Adenor Gondim
  • Luciano Feijão
  • Júlio Bittencourt
  • Marlene Barros
  • Claudia Alarcón
  • Deborah Paiva
  • Nuno Ramos
  • Marcos Amaro
  • Thalita Hamaoui
  • Rogério Medeiros
  • Rafael Hayashi
  • Lázaro Roberto
  • Ivald Granato
  • Felipe Rezende
  • Andrea Brazil
  • Darks Miranda
  • Flávia Metzler
  • Ivan Cardoso
  • Yuli Yamagata
  • Flavia Renault
  • Belony Ferreira
  • Mestre Didi
  • Paulo Pedro Leal
  • Anna Atkins
  • Elizabeth B. Brownell
  • Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson
  • Annette Messager
  • Angèle Etoundi Essamba
  • Hiromix
  • Claudia Andujar
  • Maureen Bisilliat
  • Gretta Sarfaty
  • Vilma Slomp
  • Claudia Jaguaribe
  • Anna Mariani
  • Stefania Bril
  • Francisco Brennand
  • José Cláudio
  • Maria Noujaim
  • Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff
  • Ludwig Riedel
  • Néster Rubtsov
  • Aimé-Adrien Taunay
  • Hercule Florence
  • Wilhelmine von Langsdorff
  • Lalo de Almeida
  • Paula Sampaio
  • Miguel Chikaoka
  • João Pompeu
  • Alberto Henschel

Institutions

  • Secretaria de Cultura e Turismo (SECULT) de Salvador
  • Museu Nacional da Cultura Afro-Brasileira (Muncab)
  • Liberatum
  • Ministério da Cultura
  • Galeria Galatea Salvador
  • Nara Roesler
  • Sesc Sorocaba
  • CAIXA Cultural São Paulo
  • Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Belo Horizonte (CCBB BH)
  • MASP — Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
  • Janaina Torres Galeria
  • FAMA Museu
  • IMS - Instituto Moreira Salles
  • 10×10 Photobooks
  • Simões de Assis
  • Galeria Estúdio Reverso
  • NND|Azeco
  • DAN Galeria
  • Casa de Cultura do Parque
  • Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin - USP
  • Instituto Hercule Florence
  • Documenta Pantanal
  • Centro Maria Antônia da USP
  • Fonte
  • Carmo Johnson Projects
  • Itaú Cultural
  • Pinacoteca
  • arte!brasileiros
  • Getty Research Institute
  • Museo Reina Sofía
  • Rijksmuseum
  • New York Public Library
  • Ilê Asipá
  • Acervo da Laje
  • Ateliê Marlene Barros
  • Coletivo ZBM
  • Silät
  • Movimento Grevista Negro
  • Acervo Ronaldo Domingues de Almeida
  • Midiateca Capixaba
  • Secretaria da Cultura (Secultes)
  • Fundo de Cultura do Estado do Espirito Santo (Funcultura)
  • Política Nacional Aldir Blanc (PNAB)
  • Phi Projetos
  • Cinnamon
  • Roesler Hotel
  • El Espacio 23
  • Coleção Jorge M. Pérez
  • Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea (ICCo)
  • Banco BV
  • Laranjinha
  • Banco Itaú
  • Centro de Pesquisa e Formação do Sesc
  • Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
  • Império Russo

Locations

  • Salvador
  • Brazil
  • Bahia
  • São Paulo
  • Sorocaba
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Minas Gerais
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Nova York
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • India
  • Mexico
  • Philippines
  • Turkey
  • Argentina
  • Paraguay
  • La Puntana
  • Gran Chaco
  • Portugal
  • Recife
  • Pernambuco
  • Olinda
  • Vitória
  • Espírito Santo
  • Itu
  • Campo Grande
  • Mato Grosso do Sul
  • Aveiro
  • Miami
  • Florida
  • USA
  • Tokyo
  • Japan
  • Mumbai
  • Pequim
  • China
  • Jacarta
  • Indonesia
  • Algarve
  • Santo Antônio da Patrulha
  • Rio Grande do Sul
  • Porto Feliz
  • Amazônia
  • Pantanal
  • Los Angeles
  • California
  • Madrid
  • Spain
  • Amsterdam
  • Netherlands
  • Paris
  • France
  • Nigeria
  • Cameroon
  • Switzerland

Sources