Saudade da Bahia
“The city of Bahia, black and religious, is almost as mysterious as the green sea.”
— Jorge Amado
Boasting the uncomfortable title of once being the largest slave trade port in the Americas, Salvador da Bahia has trailed a long, unparalleled history of suffering and overcoming. It is famous for its raw beauty as much as it is for its raw violence. The first time I told someone of my plans to go to Salvador, their advice was — don’t.
But I did.
Instead of violence, there was mystery: smells I couldn’t find the source of, habits I couldn’t wrap my head around, dialect even Brazilians from elsewhere had a hard time understanding. Bahia stands out like no other, even for a country as culturally unique as Brazil. An African treasure lost on the wrong side of the Atlantic. Good or bad, terrifying or wonderful, Bahia continues to defy logic and expectations.