ABSTRACT
A central problem for an adequate theory of cultural history is how peoples’ ideas and aspirations are transformed into practices and products. This chapter explores the arts histories of the African diaspora in Brazil, specifically Yoruba-and Bantu- speaking peoples and their descendants. I suggest that specific African theories of agency – aṣé or “performative power” among the Yoruba, and mooyo/nkisi or “empowering prescriptions” among Bantu peoples – help explain how Afro-Brazilians forged and continue to forge distinctive artistic worlds despite Euro-Brazilian attempts at cultural hegemony.
