The Black Research and Culture Institute marks five decades of resistance with the IPCN Festival, on November 30, at the Império Serrano samba school court in Madureira, the birthplace of samba
In this Black Consciousness Month (a Brazilian date dedicated to recognizing the historic struggle of the black population, celebrating its cultural contributions, and denouncing the structural racism that still persists in the country), Coluna da Neuza publishes another article devoted to the theme. To do this, I visited the headquarters of the Instituto de Pesquisas e Culturas Negras (IPCN, or Black Research and Culture Institute) to speak with representatives of the organization, including its acting president.
With the article below, I aim to introduce the Institute and highlight the celebration that will take place on the 30th, in honor of the institution’s 50 years of struggle, achievement, and resistance, a milestone for Brazil’s black movement.
Upon entering IPCN’s headquarters, located in downtown Rio de Janeiro, I felt the presence of the ancestors who inhabit that space. The atmosphere is warm and carries the scent of history. The walls tell the stories of those who paved the way so that black people like me could be there, writing, existing, and dreaming. The photographs reveal familiar faces, some from the time when I myself took part in the Unified Black Movement (MNU).
Below, I invite you to walk with me through this history, in the form of a conversation with those who keep this flame of resistance alive.
Coluna da Neuza: What is the Black Research and Culture Institute (IPCN)?
Márcia Glória, president of IPCN: The Black Research and Culture Institute is a black house of resistance. We have existed since 1975, founded during Brazil’s military dictatorship, facing a system that, to this day, tries to deny rights to black people.
If today we occupy spaces in academia, politics, the arts, and the job market, that has everything to do with the activists who helped build this place. We remain steadfast in defending dignity, memory, and real conditions of citizenship.
We don’t only celebrate the past. We celebrate the movement, IPCN is alive. This is a space for political, educational, and cultural struggle. Our audience is mostly made up of activists and intellectuals from the broader black movement, but it is open to everyone. Our purpose is to confront every form of racism.
Coluna da Neuza: Who founded IPCN?
Márcia Glória: Figures such as Abdias Nascimento, Lélia Gonzalez, and Beatriz Nascimento, among other essential names in black Brazilian thought. They rose up in a time when being black and outspoken was dangerous. Many activists faced political persecution, had to hide, and some even fled the country. That history alone shows the magnitude of this place.
Coluna da Neuza: What activities does the Institute offer today?
Márcia Glória: Our work is broad and intergenerational. We offer Capoeira Angola, one of the most traditional forms of capoeira, taught by Master Cristina; theater groups that use our hall; the André Rebouças social prep course, a project that has helped hundreds of students enter university; the Black Entrepreneurs Fair, which generates income and values Afro-Brazilian knowledge; and our Literary Fair, where Black and Indigenous writers amplify their voices.
We also recently launched the Racial Literacy Course (a program that helps people and institutions understand the dynamics of racism, develop critical awareness, and adopt anti-racist practices in daily life), classes begin in March of next year. Registration is now open. We continue to conduct research in partnership with professors, scholars, and public universities.
Here, culture and education walk hand in hand. The fight against racism has many fronts.
Coluna da Neuza: What does Black Consciousness Day mean to IPCN?
Márcia Glória: For decades, the only official date related to black people was May 13, a day that romanticizes a false liberation. November 20 (the holiday marking Black Consciousness Day in Brazil) was born from our hands, from the organized black movement.
It was a hard-fought victory. It began as a holiday in a few states and is now a national date. But it is not a day of celebration. It is a day to remember that we paid with blood for the right to exist. A day for reflection, strength, and commitment to tomorrow.
“Brazil, without Black people, would be nothing”
I spoke with several members of the organization, including journalist and collaborator Luana Dias, who said that the Institute “is part of the historical structure of Brazil’s Black movement. It is the foundation, it is ground. Anyone who wants a fairer society must know this house.”
For Jurema de Araújo, retired teacher, poet, and member, “IPCN is struggle, victory, and memory. Brazil must recognize that, without black people, it would be nothing.”
Cultural director Marcelo Dias, an activist since 1978, shared that he joined the organization at age 17, after participating in a theater play honoring Martin Luther King.
“From that moment on, I never left. IPCN was present in the 1988 Constituent Assembly (the national process that brought together parliamentarians and social movements to write the current Constitution of Brazil, after more than 20 years of military dictatorship), fighting for the criminalization of racism, the recognition of afro-Brazilian and indigenous cultures, and Article 68, which guarantees land rights for quilombola communities.”
“IPCN has always united thought and action. We have denounced human rights violations, built popular education projects, and shaped public policy debates. And we continue because it is still necessary. Racism is alive and we are even more alive.”
He adds that the feeling around the institution’s 50th anniversary is one of pride and responsibility. “Every wall of this building carries the sweat, tears, and hope of those who fought so Black people could have the right to be fully human. But we are not trapped in the past, we are already preparing for the next 50 years.”
Finally, Márcia Glória shares more details about the IPCN Festival: “It will take place on November 30, starting at 10 a.m., at the Império Serrano samba school court, a stronghold of samba and black culture. We will feature MV Bill, Resenha Black Bom, Grupo Afro Agbara Dudu, Roda de Samba Cafofo de Iaiá, afoxé and traditional samba groups, a cultural fair of black entrepreneurs, and tributes to our elders and to the leaders who strengthen Black culture and education.”
Festival address
Império Serrano Samba School Court — Rua Edgard de Romero, 114, Madureira, Rio de Janeiro.
Free admission.
Those interested in exhibiting at the cultural fair can contact (21) 9 7978-8088 and speak with Márcia Glória.
Appreciate the project? Here’s how to support IPCN
Volunteer opportunities are available in areas such as library science, storytelling, cultural workshops, capoeira, and teaching African dance classes. Financial support is also welcome.
IPCN is located at Av. Mem de Sá, 208 — Downtown Rio.
For more information, follow IPCN on Instagram and send a message via DM.
Coluna da Neuza is part of Lupa do Bem, the corporate social responsibility program of the communications agency Sherlock Communications.
