“My current research is focused on the cloth of the masquerades of the Egungun Festival in Bahia, Brazil and parts of West Africa. I delve into the symbols and traditions of the costumes and masks, the trans-Atlantic connection between Brazilian and West African traditions, as well as how these traditions of costume and dance can be used to speak to current conflicts in the world.

The Bahia have a close connection to the Yoruba people of Nigeria through the slave trade and they still keep the spirit of Africa alive through the practice of traditional religions, festivals, worshiping, fashion, and language. An example of this is the Egungun Festival, an important tradition of West African countries where masqueraders dance in elaborate costumes, is also still celebrated in Bahia.

I will explore this theme of cross cultural exchange by designing Egungun costumes that incorporate symbols, motifs, designs, and patterns from a variety of cultures including Ghana, Nigeria, and Brazil.

The mission and vision of this project is to preserve, promote, and teach about the culture of the Black American diaspora to other multicultural communities in Austin and to discover places where our diverse traditions cross paths. This project explores the use of masquerades, mask, symbols and costumes that are very significant in the culture of Africa and how they are linked to similar traditions in other cultures like Dia de Los Muertos and the American Halloween celebration.” — ARA ORUN KINKIN