Back2Black Festival — 17 Years of Encounters and Connections

A beacon of Black music in Brazil and around the world

Over seventeen years, the Back2Black Festival has established itself as a powerful symbol of global Black music in Brazil — a space where voices, bodies, and cultures from Africa and its diaspora meet, reinvent themselves, and continue shaping the future. Born in Rio de Janeiro, the festival has crossed geographic and symbolic borders, becoming a transatlantic celebration that connects Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

Origins and purpose

Since its debut in 2009, Back2Black made its intentions clear: to be more than a music festival — a political, poetic, and cultural gesture. Its first edition brought together artists such as Angélique Kidjo (Benin), Omara Portuondo (Cuba), Mayra Andrade (Cape Verde), and Paulo Flores (Angola), alongside Brazilian icons Mart’nália, Luiz Melodia, Dona Ivone Lara, and Margareth Menezes. That same year, historic encounters were born:

• Youssou N’Dour with Marisa Monte and Gilberto Gil

• Banda Black Rio with Ed Motta, Mano Brown, and Ice Blue

And the dialogue between passinho, kuduro, and krumping, turning the stage into a global manifesto of belonging and creativity.

A curatorship that crosses time and borders

Under the artistic direction of Connie Lopes, Back2Black has become a reference for bridging tradition and contemporaneity.

Over the years, the festival has welcomed artists such as

Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Macy Gray, Stromae, Damian Marley, Santigold, Grace Jones, Buika, Seun Kuti, Fela Kuti, Salif Keita, Fatoumata Diawara, among many others. On the Brazilian side, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Jorge Ben Jor, Seu Jorge, Emicida, Iza, Ludmilla, and Carlinhos Brown have sustained a living dialogue between roots and the future of Black music.

“It is hard to find anyone who would deny it: when it comes to artist lineups, there is no festival in Brazil — whether Planeta Terra, Lollapalooza, Porão do Rock, or Rock in Rio — that matches the level of curatorial accuracy achieved by Back2Black.” – Portal La Cumbuca

Unforgettable moments

• Tribute to the Blues — featuring Elza Soares, Taj Mahal, Vieux Farka Touré, and Lizz Wright.

• Tribute to James Brown — with Pee Wee Ellis, Banda Black Rio, Ed Motta, Negra Li, and Arthur Maia.

• Tribute to Miriam Makeba — with Gilberto Gil, Alcione, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Zenzi Lee Makeba, Ismaël Lô, Aicha Koné, and As Ganhadeiras de Itapuã, on a stage transformed into an altar of ancestry.

Other emblematic encounters

• “Back2Black in Concert” at Theatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro (2018), with Gilberto Gil, Mariene de Castro, Mart’nália, Sona Jobarteh, Mário Lúcio, and maestro Letieres Leite, celebrating Africa Day.

• Lenine, Letieres Leite, and Orkestra Rumpilezz (2015)

• “Nós por Nós” (“Us for Us”), featuring Daúde, Tássia Reis, Linn da Quebrada, Deize Tigrona, Lellêzinha, and Rico Dalasam (2016)

15 years — a transatlantic celebration

In 2023, Back2Black celebrated 15 years of history at Armazém da Utopia, in Rio’s historic port zone. Audiences experienced memorable encounters:

• Emicida with Dino D’Santiago

• Chico Brown with Mádé Kuti and Carlinhos Brown

• The Brazilian premieres of Tiwa Savage and DBN Gogo, leading figures of afrobeats and amapiano

Beyond the stage, Parque Madureira pulsed with free performances by Salif Keïta, Margareth Menezes, and Portela’s samba drum ensemble — reaffirming the festival’s popular, inclusive, and celebratory spirit.