The Brazil-Africa Research Centre (NAP Brasil-África) was founded at the University of São Paulo (USP) with the aim of becoming an interdisciplinary arena for research and debate among researchers and research groups and for the propagation of knowledge on the African Continent and Afro-Brazilian relations.
So far, the makeup of the Centre has focused on historical, literary, linguistic, economic, cultural and political approaches which encompass a variety of historical periods.
The Centre's mission is not only the deepening of academic work but also the enhancement of exchanges between academia and the public at large.
The projects conducted at the Brazil-Africa Research Centre have been informed by an interdisciplinary perspective, being therefore in line with the nature of the research subject itself, since African realities need to be approached from multiple perspectives, which in turn demand the interplay between various methodologies.
The production of knowledge on African and Afro-Brazilian issues has been indispensable to the Brazilian society at large in their endeavour to deepen the understanding of the complex historical processes it has undergone, its cultural dynamics and the economic and political relationships resulting from the historical approximations between Brazil and Africa. Equally important is the reflection upon the ways black populations have enmeshed in the formation of Brazilian society, as well as on the specificities of the cultural wealth produced by Africans and their descendants.
The Brazil-Africa Research Centre at the University of São Paulo is accredited by the Brazilian National Research Committee (CNPq). Its research areas are striven towards fostering of African and Afro-Brazilian studies as well as the international relations between Brazil and countries from all over Africa, reinforcing the interconnections among different fields of study enriching the interpretation thereof through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary practice. Research results are shared through either electronic or printed publishings, as well as video, classwork outlines for school teachers and other material; in this context, the "Edições do NAP Brasil-África" publishing line deserves mention.