Bahia is the largest of the northeastern states of Brazil. Its capital, Salvador, founded in 1549, (and often referred to simply as "Bahia"), is commonly believed by most Brazilians to be the soul of Brazil.
Historically, Bahia was where the original Portuguese settlers built their first city in Brazil and it was to remain the seat of political, administrative and economic power until 1763 when the capital moved to Rio de Janeiro, a thousand miles to the south. Bahia was also the source of the initial wealth of the colony as through its massive sugar cane and tobacco plantations supplying the expanding markets of Europe. Evidence of this wealth and Bahia’s golden era is to be seen in Salvador’s famous Pelourinho district, which houses the largest, and best preserved complex of colonial architecture in the Americas.
Culturally, the population of Bahia grew as the work force for these plantations were brought as slaves from Africa, mainly from West Africa. The heritage of these slaves, mainly Yorubá speaking, permeates the city to this day. The predominant influence is the Candomblé, the worshipping of the ancestral deities or orixá's (orishá) from Africa, an animist religion where each deity represents one of the elements of nature. These orixá's are worshipped in the thousands of terreiro's (places of worship) in Bahia and in the cycle of popular festival which take place during the summer months. Yemanjá, the goddess of the sea; Oxum, the goddess of rivers and lakes, and Oxalá, the god of creation are some of the more important orixá's in the vast pantheon.
This permeating African influence can be felt by all the five senses:
The visual arts have always been important in Bahia and Salvador is famous for its naive style where painters use strong, bold colors and an apparent simplicity which belies the often intricate, densely detailed works
The music of Bahia has enjoyed a huge audience worldwide for many years beginning with the "Tropicalia" sound of João Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil. Recent new sounds include those of Carlinhos Brown’s Timbalada and the resurgence of the Afro drumming troupes of Ilê Aiyê, Araketu and Olodum, who have worked extensively with international musicians such as Paul Simon.
Dance traditions have always been strong in Bahia and these dances yet again can be traced back to Africa and the Candomblé. The most spectacular demonstration of this is the capoeira, a martial art/dance of Angolan origin in which the blows are given with the feet in a mesmerizing dance of attack and defense
The local cuisine with its delicious, subtle blend of dendê (palm oil), tomatoes, coconut milk and fresh coriander leaf is a pleasure to the palate. Colorful street vendors sell the famous acarajé, a bean dumpling deep-fried in the palm oil, in their traditional costumes.
It is for all of these reasons that Salvador has been called "Africa in exile", where 80% of it's population of over 2 million people have African blood coursing in their veins.
