Afro-diasporic connections between Brazil and the United States and their impacts on the territories.
The project
Between March 20 and 25, 2026, Diaspora.Black developed and operated a series of Afro-Brazilian cultural experiences for international travelers passing through Brazil aboard a cruise ship.
This project demonstrates our ability to create fully customized journeys, designed based on the expectations and cultural context of a global audience.
Dynamics
Bilingual service
All itineraries and guides have been prepared to offer historical depth with service in English.
Cruise Logistics
The experiences in Rio de Janeiro and Ilhabela were specifically designed for cruise passengers, ensuring comfort, punctual return to the ship, and alignment with disembarkation times.
Thematic Curation
The itineraries connected narratives of ancestry and resistance in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Ilhabela, transforming the journey into an exchange between the diasporas of Brazil and the USA.
Partnerships Involved
The success of the operation was made possible by a network of experts, local entrepreneurs, and dedicated professionals:
international partner agency
Black Heritage Tours (Jennifer Tosch)
Local operation
Pritty Amaral — Okan Turismo (São Paulo)
Damiana Silva — Florencios Tours (Rio de Janeiro)
Kelly Tavares — Rio Encantos (Rio de Janeiro)
Oxygen Ilhabela (Ilhabela — SP)
Tourist guides
12 professionals mobilized, providing service in English.
Living Ancestry
Headquarters of the Sons of Gandhi (Instructor Joas and President Célio)
Instituto Pretos Novos (IPN)
Ancient gastronomy
Biyou'Z Restaurants, Bar Brahma, Maden Baobá and Senador Restaurant
Territories of Memory and Reunion
São Paulo: stories that build the city
In the country's largest metropolis, we explored the historic center from an Afrocentric perspective. Art, migration, resistance, and identity revealed the Black layers that continue to build the city today.
Rio de Janeiro: memory, samba and ancestry
Through Little Africa, we explored one of the most significant territories in Black history in the Americas. Between the Valongo Wharf, Pedra do Sal, and other living landmarks, we immersed ourselves in stories of resistance, faith, and culture. The group also experienced the behind-the-scenes world of Carnival and an encounter with the afoxé group Filhos de Ghandi.
Ilhabela: culture, nature and living heritage
We concluded our journey in a territory steeped in Afro-Caiçara heritage. Through local knowledge, spirituality, art, and daily life, the group experienced the strength of a culture that endures and reinvents itself by the sea.
In Ilhabela, Afro-tourism did not yet exist as a structured vertical. Before any itinerary was developed, it was necessary to build trust. Curating the experience required discussion groups, listening, mediation, and the articulation of a network that did not yet exist. For 33 people to be present on the day of the event, more than 50 were involved throughout the process.
The territory presented real challenges: a shortage of Black guides fluent in English, a lack of formal training structures, and an Afro-tourism that still needed to be invented. It was precisely this scenario that revealed the power of the proposal. What did not exist was built, and what did exist was recognized.
Results
Afro-tourism is establishing itself as a sustainable development strategy and an economic engine with a direct impact on the territories.
Travelers impacted overall
145 reservations made
Average ticket price of R$515.00
297 participants
Travelers impacted in Ilhabela - Report from Oxigênio Ilhabela
- 100 tickets made available, 83 sold, 73 in attendance.
- A ticket costs US$75, in a market where similar (less in-depth) experiences reach US$120-200.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 9.5 among mobilized entrepreneurs.
- R$ 6,205.40 in sales at the Afro-entrepreneurship fair.
- R$ 4,382.00 in food and beverages circulating at the event itself.
Main destination
Rio de Janeiro was the destination with the highest number of participants.
Direct financial impact
R$ 166,983.15 moved, strengthening the circular economy and the Black production chain in the territories.
Product validation
Validation of international cruise passenger demand for Afrocentric experiences, with high uptake and engagement.
Strengthening narratives
Increasing the visibility of Black narratives in the destinations visited, contributing to a more diverse and profound understanding of Brazil.
Creating a replicable model
Structuring an adaptable operating model for other international groups and routes in Brazil.
Forum on Afro-tourism and Creative Economy
The Afro-Caiçara experience shifted the focus from "sun and beach" to a powerful and peripheral Ilhabela. The profits from the pilot project were entirely reinvested in the territory to hold the 1st Afro-tourism and Creative Economy Forum, a direct result of tourism activity becoming a local structuring action. The meeting brought together entrepreneurs, cultural agents, guides, collectives, and leaders from the territory, promoting exchanges, visibility, and networking around Afro-tourism and the local creative economy. The program included the participation of leading figures such as Solange Barbosa, Benilda Brito, Adriana Barbosa, and Camila Camilo, as well as our CEO Carlos Humberto, strengthening the debate and reaffirming Afro-tourism as a vector of social transformation.
"Everyone was surprised. It wasn't like a normal tour."
Account by Jennifer Tosch (founder of the agency that brought the group to Brazil)
5-star reviews
"Denise, our guide, was very experienced and passionate about sharing the contributions of Black people to the formation of Brazilian history. [...] It was interesting to learn that Afro-Brazilian history is very similar to that of the United States. Excellent tour. Thank you to all the guides!"
— Liz B. (Black Itineraries Walk: Historic Center of SP)
"A wonderful tour about our ancestry in São Paulo and its similarities to African history in the USA. I loved the team and their expertise. Congratulations to everyone, especially Fávio."
— Iris Shiver
The voices of Black entrepreneurs and artists.
"I felt respected as an artist and valued as a professional. We want and NEED more opportunities like this."
"Things I'll never forget: people asked to take pictures with me. I wasn't expecting that kind of affection. And secondly, all my pieces with prints of Black women sold out."
Diaspora.Black connects with a powerful network of Afro-entrepreneurs across Brazil to create authentic experiences that value territories, knowledge, and the empowerment of communities.
For groups wishing to discover Brazil from an Afrocentric perspective, we have developed comprehensive experiences, from curation to operation, paying attention to every detail.
Each journey is an invitation to encounter stories that endure and transform.
