Albano Neves e Sousa (1921,

Matosinhos Matosinhos () is a City#Portugal, city and a Concelho, municipality in the district of Porto District, Porto in Portugal. The municipality covers an area of approximately and had 172,557 inhabitants in 2021. It is bordered by the municipalities o ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

- 1995, São Salvador,

Brasil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

) was a portuguese-

angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, writer and

ethnographer Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

. He was born in

, living in

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

and, after 1975, in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

.Neves e Sousa
/ref> Albano Neves e Sousa is a key figure in Angolan art history. His art provides a visual history of Angola, depicting its people and landscapes with remarkable passion. His art is deeply connected to the culture of Angola and Brazil. Neves e Sousa introduced the world to the Angolan martial art

n'golo N'golo (anglicized as Engolo) is a traditional Bantu martial art and game from Angola, that combines elements of combat and dance, performed in a circle accompanied by music and singing. It is known as the forerunner of capoeira. Engolo has bee ...

, which is considered the ancestor of

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and game that includes elements of dance, acrobatics, capoeira music, music, and spirituality. It likely originated from enslaved Mbundu people, of the Kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. The ...

. His engolo drawings from 1950s have become an important historical document and one of the key proofs of the Angolan origin of

Biography

Albano Silvino Gama de Carvalho das Neves e Sousa was born on January 15, 1921, in

, Portugal, during one of his family's trips to Portugal.Beauty in Art: Albano Neves e Sousa
/ref>

Life in Angola

At a young age, he returned to Angola with his family, settling in

Andulo Andulo is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola. The municipality covers an area of , with a Population of 258,161 in 2014. It is bordered to the north by the municipality of Mussende, to the east by the municipalities of Luquembo ...

in the province of Bié. He was sent to

Luanda Luanda ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Angola, largest city of Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Ang ...

to attend high school, where he discovered his talent for

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

. At the age of 15, Sousa held his first exhibition in Andulo in 1936, featuring watercolors, drawings, and caricatures. He spent most of his life in Angola, traveling extensively around the country, producing drawings and paintings inspired by its landscapes, people, and wildlife. In 1937, he held his first solo exhibition in Luanda. Sousa's career took a significant turn when he joined the ethnographic studies mission at the Museum of Angola while living in Luanda. This experience allowed him to explore Angola's diverse landscapes and cultures, influencing his artistic works. In 1943, Sousa received a scholarship from the Luanda city council to study Fine Arts in

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, Portugal. During this period, he collaborated with various art groups and won several awards. Returning to Luanda in 1952, Sousa faced criticism from cultural media for his early exhibitions, which were seen as imitative of

cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

. Nevertheless, he continued to evolve as an artist and gained recognition both locally and internationally. His career involved numerous exhibitions and travels to countries such as South Africa, Yugoslavia, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, Mozambique, Portugal, and more. About 1955, " n'golo dance" was first documented when Neves e Sousa visited Mucope, in

Cunene Province Cunene is a province of Angola. It has an area of 87,342 km2 and a population of 990,087 in 2014. Ondjiva is the capital of the province; it was previously known as Vila Pereira d’Eça. Ondjiva is the only city in this province with the ...

. In 1965, Albano Neves e Sousa, visited

Mestre Pastinha Vicente Ferreira Pastinha (April 5, 1889, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil – November 13, 1981), known as Mestre Pastinha, was a ''mestre'' of the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira and a codifier of the traditional capoeira Angola style. Mestre Past ...

's academy in Salvador,

. He informed them of a dance in Angola similar to capoeira, called ''

''. After watching

capoeira Angola Capoeira de Angola (Angolan capoeira) or simply ''angola'' is the traditional style of capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art. A newer style, based on the reform of capoeira Angola, is called ''capoeira regional, regional''. However, the term ...

at Pastinha's academy, he asserted that "N’golo is capoeira".Matthew Zylstra, The real origins of capoeira?
/ref> His testimony challenged the popular belief at the time that capoeira originated in Brazil, and highlighted the n'golo as an ancestral form of capoeira.A VISITA DE ALBANO NEVES E SOUSA
/ref> Upon returning to Angola in 1966, Neves e Sousa organized an exhibition titled "''Da minha África e do Brasil que eu vi''" (From My Africa and the Brazil I Saw), highlighting cultural similarities between African and Afro-Brazilian expressions.

Life in Brazil

In 1975, Sousa was commissioned to decorate an Angolan

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...

, which led him to travel to the United States. However, the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War () was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. It was a power struggle between two for ...

started that year, and he moved to Brazil. Sousa eventually settled in

Salvador, Bahia Salvador () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality and capital city of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognize ...

, with his wife, Maria Luisa. There, he found inspiration in the local culture and landscapes. He also authored a book titled "Olohuma," reflecting his experiences in Bahia. His works continued to be influenced by the legacy of the

transatlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

and the strong African cultural presence in Bahia. Sousa celebrated the similarities and connections between Bahia and Angola, particularly through his art's focus on landscapes, people, customs, and spirituality.

References

External links

Drawings by Neves and Sousa of N'golo Dance and the Hunters' Dance in the Angola Museum in Luanda

Neves e Sousa's drawing of L-kick in N'golo

Neves e Sousa's drawing of Pastinha's capoeira Angola academy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albano Neves e Sousa 1921 births 1995 deaths Portuguese poets Portuguese painters Engolo Angolan artists 20th-century Angolan poets Angolan male poets