Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey visited the Valongo Wharf and CEAP in Rio, in a powerful agenda on memory, reparation, and Africa-Brazil ties.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad, Robert Dussey, visited Pequena África (Little Africa) in Rio de Janeiro in an agenda that wove together territory, ancestral heritage, and diplomacy. The gathering was organized by professor and babalawô Ivanir dos Santos as a direct follow-up to the Brazilian delegation that traveled to Lomé in December 2025.

From Valongo Wharf to CEAP

The program opened at Valongo Wharf, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most powerful symbols of the African diaspora in the Americas. There, the minister was welcomed with a performance by Afoxé Filhas de Gandhy RJ, a women’s cultural group dedicated to Afro-Brazilian culture. A procession then moved through the streets of Pequena África to the headquarters of CEAP – Center for the Articulation of Marginalized Populations, linking memory and resistance in a single gesture.

During the reception, Roseli Santos da Cruz presented the minister with a protective charm featuring elements connected to Oxum and Ogum, Yoruba orishas, alongside symbols associated with health. He also received books, closing the exchange with knowledge that moves between the spiritual and the intellectual.

Ivanir dos Santos emphasized the historical weight of Valongo Wharf as a symbol of the African diaspora, reaffirming the commitment to preserving memory and strengthening ties between Africa and Brazil.

The family that reconnected with Togo

One of the most symbolic moments of the visit was the presence of the Olímpio family: Hanna Marques, Antônio Carlos Marques dos Santos, Glória dos Santos, and Saulo Araujo Marques. The family traveled to Lomé in December 2025 at the invitation of the Togolese government to meet their Togolese relatives — a reunion that deepened historical and emotional bonds across the Atlantic.

Black intellectuals at the center of the debate

The gathering brought together leading voices in Black Brazilian thought. Among those present were Jacques d’Adesky, Helena Theodoro, Mariana Gino, Ele Semog, Totinho Capoeira (SIRDH), and José Carlos Lima de Campos (UFRJ), whose contributions deepened the cultural, academic, and political dimensions of the event.

Seminar at IFCS and concrete proposals

Following lunch at CEAP, the program continued with a seminar at the IFCS – Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences at UFRJ. From the very start, participants were invited to present concrete proposals for cooperation between Brazil and the African continent. The ideas were received with a commitment to forward them to the appropriate channels, along with encouragement to build a future Brazil-Africa forum based on the connections forged that day.

The event left behind a strengthened and living network that crosses oceans and histories. As was emphasized throughout the day, the path between Brazil and Africa must be built, above all, on solidarity.

Event Info

Event: Visit of Minister Robert Dussey to Pequena África
Venues: Valongo Wharf, CEAP, and IFCS — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Organized by: Professor and babalawô Ivanir dos Santos
Groups present: Afoxé Filhas de Gandhy RJ, Olímpio family, civil society representatives