While sailing out to sea at sunset on a saveiro, a traditional wooden boat, a man stands at the bow, waiting for the precise moment to throw the presents into the water, where Iemanja, the sea goddess, is waiting for them.
Every 2 February, the city of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil, one of the ‘black capitals’ of Latin America, celebrates Iemanja’s Day. The festivity is a never-ending whirlwind of devotion and colours, beauty and intensity. It is Africa in America.
