The Iabas Fair in Madureira / Rio de Janeiro: food, music and afro-brazilian culture

During the decade of 2010 the Brazilian government, through the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN), returns to the safeguarding of cultural assets that make up the so-called intangible heritage. Goods like the craft of the "baianas do acaraje" and the "samba of the Reconcavo Baiano" are listed and in this context of appreciation and preservation of intangible heritage, cultural manifestations are created, preserved or recreated. In 2008, the Iabas Fair, an event focused on food and music, was created in Madureira / Rio de Janeiro. The recognition of the festival as intangible cultural heritage values the practices of underrepresented groups in Brazilian society. Howerer, there is no guarantee of the festival s continuity, as this relies on leaderships of local associations. At the fair, food and music are shared, serving as links that keep Afro-Brazilians united in networks of solidarity and reciprocity whilst becoming a form of expression and consolidation of Afro-Brazilian ethnicity.