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One of Brazil’s most colorful and vibrant cities, Salvador Bahia, is a culturally rich location known as the Black capital of Latin America. The city has become a well-known hub for Afro-Brazilian culture. With nearly 3 million inhabitants, 80% of whom are of African descent, Salvador Bahia has one of the largest concentrations of Afro-descendants outside of Africa.
Source: Getty Images
Labeled the Black Rome, the city has transformed from its dark past to create a unique blend of cultures unlike any other place.
Brief History of Salvador Bahia
Salvador Bahia was the first capital of Brazil between 1549 and 1763; now, it is the capital of the Bahia region, located in the northeast part of Brazil.
As a major port city, it became the first slave market in the New World in 1558. Enslaved Africans were brutally brought over from all parts of Africa to work primarily on sugarcane plantations. Established by the Portuguese, the slave trade continued until 1888. During slavery, many enslaved Africans lived without any connection to their homeland. Stripped of their culture and identity, they were forced to assimilate into Portuguese customs and speak a new language. Enslaved people had to create a new culture to survive.
But slavery isn’t the complete story for the people of Salvador Bahia. Over the years, people of African descent have been actively writing a new story.
How Drums Strengthen the Ties to Africa
Salvador Bahia is consistently weaving African traditions into its culture. The customs and practices in Salvador Bahia are not a direct replication of African culture. However, the connection to Africa and honoring that ancestry is undeniable.
One of the most notable connections to Africa is the drums. In many African traditions, drums serve a specific purpose. Hand drums are played throughout the year during birth, death, peace, war, planting, and harvesting. It is a way for African people to celebrate, mourn, and communicate. In Salvador Bahia, the drums hold similar significance. At any given moment, you can find people of all ages playing a variety of drum rhythms, many of which are from pre-colonial times.
Source: Getty Images
While drumming is an integral part of the culture, two groups of musicians have utilized drumming to create a social movement. The first group is Oldum, which came into existence in 1979. They became well known because they collaborated with Michael Jackson in his music video for the song “They Don’t Really Care about Us.”
Beyond making music, this group is a vital part of the community. As a non-profit organization, they teach music and dance classes to underprivileged children. They also actively work against racial discrimination by uplifting the voices of Afro-Brazilians.
Alongside this group, another band of drummers is impacting the Afro-Brazilian scene. Banda Didá is a drumming group of Black women who are breaking stereotypes and empowering women across the region.
Banda Didá is known to be the first all-women group, emerging in an era where drumming was exclusively for men. With every drum beat and note played by these women, they are beating against the old beliefs that drumming was too dangerous for women. Many people believed that the physical demands of drumming, which include carrying a large drum and repetitive movement, would weaken women’s ability to give birth. Additionally, playing in the streets late at night at festivals and events was considered unsafe for women.
However, whenever a Banda Didá member straps on their surdos or bass drum to their shoulders or waist, they make a statement. Their fierce and intentional drumbeats dismiss the former gender roles while paying tribute to their African ancestry.
Along with music, Samba and Capoeira are other ways the people of Salvador Bahia celebrate African culture.
Preserving Heritage through Religion
Since enslaved Africans were not allowed to practice their religions when brought to Brazil, they had to create their method of praise. Thus, Candomblé, a religion based on African gods, was formed.
Several festivals and rituals occur yearly to praise Orishas, or orixas in Portuguese, the various spirits of Candomblé. Yoruba, the West African language, is used during rituals, along with drums and spiritual dances.
Ceremonies often occur by the sea or in churches, where women dress in all white and seek to commune with various spirits and deities. These rituals are spiritual endeavors that transcend the conscious and the subconscious mind.
Visiting Salvador Bahia
Over the years, Afro-tourism, tourism focused on African culture, has risen in Salvador Bahia. Visitors can immerse themselves in Brazil’s inviting Afro-Brazilian culture through these tours.
Source: Getty Images
Another way to experience Afro-Brazilian culture is through the yearly festivals. The most well-known event is Carnival, where the streets are flooded with women and men dressed in colorful clothing and the days consist of non-stop dancing and partying.
In addition to the music and dance, another impressive aspect of Salvador Bahia is its Renaissance architecture, carefully preserved in the Pelourinho district, where enslaved people were brought and sold. Pelourinho is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The best time to visit is between December and March, after the rainy season.
One of Brazil’s most colorful and vibrant cities, Salvador Bahia, is a culturally rich location known as the Black capital of Latin America. The city has become a well-known hub for Afro-Brazilian culture. With nearly 3 million inhabitants, 80% of whom are of African descent, Salvador Bahia has one of the largest concentrations of Afro-descendants outside of Africa.
Source: Getty Images
Labeled the Black Rome, the city has transformed from its dark past to create a unique blend of cultures unlike any other place.
Brief History of Salvador Bahia
Salvador Bahia was the first capital of Brazil between 1549 and 1763; now, it is the capital of the Bahia region, located in the northeast part of Brazil.
As a major port city, it became the first slave market in the New World in 1558. Enslaved Africans were brutally brought over from all parts of Africa to work primarily on sugarcane plantations. Established by the Portuguese, the slave trade continued until 1888. During slavery, many enslaved Africans lived without any connection to their homeland. Stripped of their culture and identity, they were forced to assimilate into Portuguese customs and speak a new language. Enslaved people had to create a new culture to survive.
But slavery isn’t the complete story for the people of Salvador Bahia. Over the years, people of African descent have been actively writing a new story.
How Drums Strengthen the Ties to Africa
Salvador Bahia is consistently weaving African traditions into its culture. The customs and practices in Salvador Bahia are not a direct replication of African culture. However, the connection to Africa and honoring that ancestry is undeniable.
One of the most notable connections to Africa is the drums. In many African traditions, drums serve a specific purpose. Hand drums are played throughout the year during birth, death, peace, war, planting, and harvesting. It is a way for African people to celebrate, mourn, and communicate. In Salvador Bahia, the drums hold similar significance. At any given moment, you can find people of all ages playing a variety of drum rhythms, many of which are from pre-colonial times.
Source: Getty Images
While drumming is an integral part of the culture, two groups of musicians have utilized drumming to create a social movement. The first group is Oldum, which came into existence in 1979. They became well known because they collaborated with Michael Jackson in his music video for the song “They Don’t Really Care about Us.”
Beyond making music, this group is a vital part of the community. As a non-profit organization, they teach music and dance classes to underprivileged children. They also actively work against racial discrimination by uplifting the voices of Afro-Brazilians.
Alongside this group, another band of drummers is impacting the Afro-Brazilian scene. Banda Didá is a drumming group of Black women who are breaking stereotypes and empowering women across the region.
Banda Didá is known to be the first all-women group, emerging in an era where drumming was exclusively for men. With every drum beat and note played by these women, they are beating against the old beliefs that drumming was too dangerous for women. Many people believed that the physical demands of drumming, which include carrying a large drum and repetitive movement, would weaken women’s ability to give birth. Additionally, playing in the streets late at night at festivals and events was considered unsafe for women.
However, whenever a Banda Didá member straps on their surdos or bass drum to their shoulders or waist, they make a statement. Their fierce and intentional drumbeats dismiss the former gender roles while paying tribute to their African ancestry.
Along with music, Samba and Capoeira are other ways the people of Salvador Bahia celebrate African culture.
Preserving Heritage through Religion
Since enslaved Africans were not allowed to practice their religions when brought to Brazil, they had to create their method of praise. Thus, Candomblé, a religion based on African gods, was formed.
Several festivals and rituals occur yearly to praise Orishas, or orixas in Portuguese, the various spirits of Candomblé. Yoruba, the West African language, is used during rituals, along with drums and spiritual dances.
Ceremonies often occur by the sea or in churches, where women dress in all white and seek to commune with various spirits and deities. These rituals are spiritual endeavors that transcend the conscious and the subconscious mind.
Visiting Salvador Bahia
Over the years, Afro-tourism, tourism focused on African culture, has risen in Salvador Bahia. Visitors can immerse themselves in Brazil’s inviting Afro-Brazilian culture through these tours.
Source: Getty Images
Another way to experience Afro-Brazilian culture is through the yearly festivals. The most well-known event is Carnival, where the streets are flooded with women and men dressed in colorful clothing and the days consist of non-stop dancing and partying.
In addition to the music and dance, another impressive aspect of Salvador Bahia is its Renaissance architecture, carefully preserved in the Pelourinho district, where enslaved people were brought and sold. Pelourinho is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The best time to visit is between December and March, after the rainy season.
One of the big questions left over from the Ms. Marvel series was all about the origins of the bangle left to her by her grandmother—the one that unlocked all the incredible powers within Kamala Khan. Well, thanks to The Marvels, we now know the truth. That cosmic bangle is but one of a pair, and they are older than history itself. They have deep ties to Marvel Comics lore. The Marvels reveals Kamala’s bangle is one of two Quantum Bands, one of the most powerful artifacts in the universe. They connect to a character who was an Avenger for many years, as well as one of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Marvel Comics’ Quantum Bands Were Weapons of the Protector of the Universe
In the comics, the Quantum Bands were ancient and powerful energy-manipulating devices that most humanoids could wear. The ancient cosmic entity named Eon, whose statue was shown in Thor: Love and Thunder, possibly created them. Although it’s also possible they are even older than he is. Eon then appointed a mortal champion to wear them, giving them the title of Protector of the Universe. The Quantum Bands were weapons, but also revered symbols of the Protector of the Universe.
The power of the Quantum Bands comes from a place called the Quantum Zone, where all the energy and power in the Marvel Universe actually comes from. The Quantum Bands store energy from the Quantum Zone, but if they ever cut access to that power coming from the Zone, then these instruments would have to use whatever energy they had stored within them. And once that energy ran out, without access to the Quantum Zone, they would be totally useless.
The Powers of the Quantum Bands in Marvel Comics
These bands allow whoever wears them control over the electromagnetic spectrum, and can sap the energy away from both lifeforms and machines. They can project energy beams of varying degrees of power, and can even make hard light constructs (similar to DC Comics’ Green Lantern). They grant the wearer a degree of strength, invulnerability, and flight. The bands even allow the wearer to make cosmic jumps across lightyears under their own power. They do have their limits though. The Quantum Bands can’t be used to control psychic energies or magic of any kinds, as those powers originate outside known reality.
Quasar Wore the Quantum Bands in the Marvel Comics Universe
In the Marvel Universe, there have been countless Protectors of the Universe who have worn the Quantum Bands. However, two are the most famous. The first was Wendell Vaughn from Earth, a.k.a. Quasar. Wendell Vaughn was a scientist working for S.H.I.E.L.D., who was studying the Quantum Bands which they had acquired. When the terrorist organization A.I.M. attacked, Wendell put them on, and became the superhero known as Quasar. Even though he was not granted the Quantum Bands by Eon, the entity eventually deemed him worthy of the status of Protector of the Universe. He eventually joined the Avengers, and served on many missions with the team over several years. In more recent times, he’s shared the Quantum Bands with another Earth scientist, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Avril Kincaid.
The other most famous wearer of the Quantum Bands was Phyla-Vell, daughter of Mar-Vell. In the cosmic crossover event Annihilation, a deadly energy wave reached across the universe, initiated by the Lord of the Negative Zone, Annihilus. Wendell Vaughn lost the Quantum Bands to Annihilus during this event. Later, Phyla-Vell managed to steal the bands from Annihilus, and became the new Quasar herself. As the new Quasar, she joined the Guardians of the Galaxy. During her time as owner of the Quantum Bands, she was able to create the Quantum Sword, a weapon unique to her. When she died, the Quantum Bands returned to Vaughn, although Phyla eventually returned to life.
The Quantum Bands in the MCU
Fans believed the bangles Kamala used in Ms. Marvel were the Nega Bands, the traditional Kree weapon of Captain Marvel. But In the MCU, we learned they were actually the Quantum Bands. These creations were millions of years old, and split up at some point in time. Although they never explicitly stated where their power comes from in the MCU, there is the Quantum Realm, which might as well be the same thing as the Quantum Zone from the comics. So it may be their source of power. The villain of The Marvels, the Kree warrior Dar-Benn, found one in a remote world. When she briefly had both that one and Ms. Marvel’s in her possession, she could tear a hole in spacetime itself.
Unable to control the incredible power of both bands at once, Dar-Benn died while fighting the Marvels. However, the Quantum Bands themselves survived. We see Kamala at the end with only one on. Will Kamala wear both in the future? Or will someone else wear them? The bands unlocked Kamala’s powers, but those powers are innate to her. Perhaps Wendell Vaughn will appear in the MCU soon. And if not him, Phyla-Vell already exists in the MCU too, as they showed her in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as a new member.
One thing’s for sure: someone is going to wear both Quantum Bands in the MCU. The question is who will have the honor?
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