The architecture of the Rio-Africas Cultural Center, a project for Pequena África in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), seeks to establish connections between African ancestry, the legacy of Brazilian modern architecture, and its diversities. The space values orality and African influences in the city, highlighting theimportance of historical memories.
The access plaza leads to a place of celebration and cultural expression. The proximity to the Valongo Wharf, a significant site of memory, connects theproject to the city's history and to cultural and heritage preservation.

The building is organized around a tree-filled courtyard, emphasizing theimportance of trees for African culture and the biodiversity of the AtlanticForest. The central void (atrium) and other smaller openings encourage visual relationships of internal and external contemplation. Symbolically, these voidsact as intervals between the exhibition areas.
The facade functions as a light filter, inspired by braiding and muxarabi, ancestral solutions that gave rise to the Brazilian cobogó. This skin is createdby clay bricks arranged in a specific pattern, generating diverse visual effectsthrough its openings. In the exhibition areas, the walls become more opaque, controlling the light so it enters indirectly.

The relationship between sky and water, sun and earth, air and atmosphere isexplored through skylights and reflecting pools, creating more intimateatmospheres. This reflects the African cosmovision, the gaze towards Kemetand Egyptian mythology, while also referencing the monumental nature ofBrazilian modern architecture.
The deities of African matrix are invited to participate in this proposal, whichseeks a political and poetic project. In its poetry, the diaspora: indeterminate, cyclical, infinite as the cosmos. In its politics, resistance.