Book: Afrotourism, affection, affront and future, about afrotourism is launched in Brazil

There are experiences from black travelers, tips on places with black culture and history, as well as debates on afrotourism. "It is the consolidation of our work that brings black people to the forefront. A document that helps us learn more stories that history does not tell", defines Guilherme.

The book is part of the Katuka Edições label, from Katuka Africanidades, and had a book signing in Salvador (13) and São Paulo (14) last week. Launches in other Brazilian capitals will continue in 2024, in Salvador in January and in Rio de Janeiro in April.

Guilherme Soares Dias is a Brazilian journalist, born in Mato Grosso do Sul and who now lives between São Paulo and Salvador, he wrote for UOL, Revista Trip, O Estado de S. Paulo, Valor Econômico, has a column in Folha de S. Paulo , has another book published, Dias pela Estrada, the books are for sale in Portuguese on Amazon and on the publisher's website . Guilherme founded Guia Negro , where in addition to producing content, he creates Afro-centered tourist experiences in several Brazilian cities and consults on diversity.

Commit to interview:

Travel2Latam: What is afrotourism?

Guilherme Soares Dias: It is an aspect of cultural tourism, which focuses on tourist experiences in black culture and history. In other words, blackness is the protagonist. It is a term that has been used more since 2018, but it is an area that has existed for longer and was previously under the umbrella of ethnic tourism, which can also represent white, indigenous and other ethnic tourism. We at Guia Negro also say that afrotourism is affection, affront and the future and I bring this to the title of the book. We believe that it is tourism done with hospitality and that it affects people; that it is still provocative to have black people traveling (it is, unfortunately, not the norm in tourism) and they are also questioning and often Afrotourism is confused with Afrofuturism and we believe that this is a good confusion because we defend that Afrotourism is the future of tourism , bringing more diversity to travel.

Travel2Latam: You live in São Paulo and Salvador, Bahia conquered afrotourism by promoting the state to black Americans. Is Bahia a model, today the state that receives the most tourists in the Northeast? And how does afrotourism work in Africa, the USA and the Caribbean?

Guilherme Soares Dias: Salvador is the capital with the highest percentage of black people in Brazil, around 82% of the almost 3 million inhabitants. It's a place where blackness is everywhere: in the food, in the music, in the way people walk, in religiosity. And all of this is a natural attraction that connects any black traveler. And we have increasingly received these black travelers from other places who identify Salvador as the Afro capital. In the United States, we have the black travel movement, which is the movement of black people traveling together that has a significant portion of the travel market, they are very aware and only consume from other black people. In addition to black places, like New Orleans, in addition to Harlem and Brooklyn, which are neighborhoods in New York. The African continent still has enormous potential for growth in cultural tourism. Countries like Morocco, Egypt and South Africa receive many tourists, but there are 54 countries on the continent. The Caribbean is another region of the African diaspora that is well known for its natural beauty, but has a very rich culture, with its own languages ​​that are still little known.

Travel2Latam: You launched a brand called Guia Negro five years ago, how is this content distribution between platforms and agencies?

Guilherme Soares Dias: Guia Negro was born from the “no’s” of other vehicles that did not treat the theme of black culture and history with the importance they deserved, so we decided to create this content with our own style and being narrated in the first person to inspire people black people to travel more and all white, black and indigenous people... to learn more about black culture and history. We also have tourist experiences. Today, in addition to the website, we have a podcast , YouTube channel , local guides , Instagram (where we are the largest afrotourism platform) and now the book. We are a reference in afrotourism and we are forming strategic partnerships to expand this work.

Travel2Latam: It took you six years to complete your new launch, Afrotourism, affection, affront and future, were you collecting stories or preparing people to be ready for the future? What was this process of elaboration and conclusion like?

Guilherme Soares Dias: It was a joint construction process. We launched theories, texts, tips, provocations and new possibilities for traveling. At the same time, society was evolving in awareness about blackness, racial literacy and the debate about black Money (circulation of black people's money). It's incredible how in a country like ours we still didn't have literature on Afrotourism. I believe that the work comes at the right time and I hope to see other similar initiatives in the future.

Travel2Latam: Many countries have a very small black population and have not yet separated themselves from the race that was enslaved by so many people. How will your book prepare the tourist trade for afrotourism?

Guilherme Soares Dias: We bring you a topic guide. They range from tips on places to practice Afrotourism, through reports from black travelers to the debate about Afrotourism itself. The book is the beginning of a long conversation that is about increasing diversity in tourism, a sector that still reproduces privileges and structural racism. So, I believe it is an important instrument of racial literacy.

Travel2Latam: Is it a book for the tourism industry or for tourists?

Guilherme Soares Dias: Of course. It is a book for those who enjoy traveling and for those who are willing to debate the racial issue and understand that it permeates all topics and sectors of society, including tourists. There are many students, teachers, tourism professionals, but also travelers interested in buying and reading everything we produce.

Travel2Latam: What are the launch plans abroad, in which languages ​​will it be launched first?

Guilherme Soares Dias: I am very focused on launches in different Brazilian capitals. We haven't planned an overseas release yet, but I believe English would be the first language we would have a translation in.

Travel2Latam: Sports and cultural tourism moves a legion of people, why in your opinion is there still so much racism and prejudice towards athletes and artists, as people leave their homes to see them?

Guilherme Soares Dias: I believe that this racism is intrinsic in society, rooted. When it occurs with athletes and artists it has greater visibility due to their exposure, but it is recurrent in other sectors and does not have the same projection. It is one of the proofs that prejudice in Brazil is not only social, but, mainly, racial.

Travel2Latam: The president of EMBRATUR Marcelo Freixo has been talking a lot about afrotourism on social media, do you have any type of action or projects together?

Guilherme Soares Dias: Embratur chose afrotourism as the focus of its operations and has sold Brazil abroad as the black country that it is. Embratur's afrotourism coordinator is Tânia Neres. She is an old partner of ours, she has done several of the Guia Negro tours and we participate in a collective in favor of afrotourism together. We hope to close partnerships in 2024, but it is still something that is being built within the government and we know that the steps are slow and the demands are enormous and historic.

Travel2Latam: Afrotourism, affection, affront and future, how would you define your work?

Guilherme Soares Dias: A book of stories with black protagonism, which brings the evolution of the afrotourism debate over the last six years into a work, consolidating the theme within tourism. It is a publication to inspire new trips with diversity and for more black people to understand that traveling is for them and that they can do this by connecting with their stories and culture. A path of no return, since from then on, they will always want afrotourists. Long live afrotourism!

Interview: Mary de Aquino.

Photo credits: Heitor Salatiel.