Cultura em Movimento Projects Reconnect Maceió with Its Traditions

Through workshops, food festivals, and artistic performances, the initiatives have brought cultural programming to venues across the city, with more than 90 free events held in just three months.

Maceió, September 24, 2026 - The Cultura em Movimento public notice has brought popular and Afro-Brazilian culture closer to the daily lives of Maceió residents. Led by cultural producers across more than 35 neighborhoods, the supported projects offer free activities throughout the city in public squares, schools, neighborhood associations, and cultural venues. From July through September, the program features more than 90 events.

Workshops, food festivals, and music, dance, capoeira, and theater performances take place in different parts of the city, including downtown Maceió, the Ponta Verde waterfront, and neighborhoods such as Cidade Universitária, Chã de Bebedouro, Rio Novo, Jatiúca, Farol, Jacintinho, Bom Parto, Jaraguá, and Santa Amélia. These initiatives contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage and help promote and sustain local traditions, particularly those affected by the evacuation of the neighborhoods of Pinheiro, Bebedouro, Mutange, Bom Parto, and Farol.

The Cultura em Movimento public notice supports initiatives centered on cultural expressions such as capoeira , repente , pastoril , quadrilhas juninas , afoxés , drumming traditions, maracatu , and samba de roda . "This initiative helps preserve the memories, traditions, and identity of these communities, restores people's access to their own history, recognizes the artists and groups who carry this heritage forward, and strengthens the sense of belonging that underpins the city's future," says Raineldes Melo, Social Action Manager at Braskem.

One of the supported projects is O Legado que Não Silencia: Trupé, Memória e Coco Alagoano , which focuses on promoting and preserving coco de roda through memory, oral tradition, and shared community experiences. Through educational workshops, cultural performances, and outreach initiatives, the project helps strengthen the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next. "The public notice was a valuable addition because it enabled us to bring workshops into schools and to create and exhibit costumes," says Ivanaldo Silva Júnior, President of Coco de Roda Pau de Arara and the project's creator.

Cultura em Movimento

With 112 selected projects, 60 in the Traditional Popular Culture category and 52 in the Afro-Brazilian Culture category, the public call prioritized cultural agents who lived in areas affected by land subsidence. The selection process assessed criteria such as the applicant's track record and length of experience in the cultural sector; project accessibility for people with disabilities; efforts to broaden access to culture, including outreach to vulnerable neighborhoods and engagement with children and young people; and identification with cultural expressions recognized as intangible cultural heritage.

The selected projects received funding ranging from BRL 15,250 to BRL 30,800, depending on the application category. The required community activities include free public artistic performances, workshops, and other knowledge-sharing activities. Of the projects supported, 17 have already been completed, 76 are currently underway, and another 19 have yet to begin. The deadline established in the public call for completing the required activities is November 20, 2026.

PAS Initiative

The Cultura em Movimento public call is part of the Social and Urban Action Plan (PAS), established under the Socio-Environmental Agreement entered into by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) and Braskem, with the participation of the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of Alagoas (MPAL) and the Municipality of Maceió as a party to the agreement. PAS measures also include the construction or renovation of daycare centers, markets, public squares, and healthcare facilities, as well as initiatives in the cultural, social, economic, and urban development areas. Some of these measures are implemented by Braskem, while others are carried out by the Municipality of Maceió. The updated budget, funded by the company, is approximately BRL 260 million.

PHOTO CREDITS - Philipe Medeiros/Divulgação/Braskem