Partnership will strengthen Afro-Brazilian culture and social development in the Curuzu community, with employability, training and income generation projects

Neoenergia Coelba, Neoenergia's electricity distributor in the state of Bahia, today announced a partnership with Ilê Aiyê for 2025 with the aim of supporting diversity and promoting social inclusion. Brazil's first Afro bloc will now be sponsored by the company to carry out, throughout the year, the eight cultural and social initiatives promoted by the institution, which is a symbol of resistance and black protagonism. Among the projects supported in the first quarter are the Black Music Festival, the 44th Night of Black Beauty and the Carnival parade.

The partnership celebrates Ilê Aiyê's more than 50 years as one of the greatest representatives of Afro-Brazilian culture, praising African ancestry and the leading role of black women. For Neoenergia Coelba, sponsoring Ilê Aiyê is a milestone that converges with its corporate values, promoting inclusion and citizenship in communities.

"For Neoenergia Coelba, sponsoring Ilê Aiyê reaffirms our commitment to valuing culture, identity and black protagonism, essential pillars for building a fairer and more inclusive society.Together, we reinforce the importance of Afro-Brazilian culture and create real opportunities for social transformation in the areas where we operate," says Thiago Guth, CEO of Neoenergia Coelba.

Ilê Aiyê, which has been transforming art and music into instruments of struggle and expression since 1974, celebrates the partnership as an important step towards the continuity and expansion of its projects.

"The partnership with Neoenergia Coelba is essential for strengthening and maintaining our annual plan. Events such as Carnival, the Night of Black Beauty, the Black Music Festival and the Cortejo da Liberdade are fundamental to celebrating ancestry and valuing black identity. This partnership helps us keep tradition alive and expand Ilê Aiyê's cultural and social impact, reaffirming our commitment to preserving and promoting Afro-Brazilian culture.We are confident that this union will bring lasting and transformative results," says Antônio Carlos dos Santos, Vovô do Ilê, founder and President of Ilê Aiyê.

Social actions

In addition to supporting Ilê's projects and events this year, Neoenergia Coelba will take social impact and employability actions to the Curuzu community. The aim is to go beyond financial support, promoting services, educational projects and vocational training for the community around the Barro Preto Senzala Association. The initiatives include:

• Electricians' School: free technical training for women and men, promoting entry into the job market. The idea is to make it easier for young people and adults who are part of Ilê Aiyê's social programs to join the training classes.
• Potencialize Program: Neoenergia Coelba's internal career acceleration program for black talent. The intersection with Ilê Aiyê will make it possible for Neoenergia staff and Ilê representatives to exchange knowledge on issues of race and ethnicity, with the possibility of mentoring for young professionals from Curuzu.
• Young Apprentice Program: professional training for young people at the start of their careers and looking for their first job, a fundamental opportunity to open doors to the job market.
• Neoenergia em Ação: social initiatives aimed at education and raising awareness about the safe and efficient use of energy, as well as public services.
• Junt+s: Neoenergia's diversity and inclusion program, present at Neoenergia Coelba and other distributors, which includes an affinity group focused on issues of race and ethnicity. It is focused on promoting a work environment that respects differences, empowers and combats prejudice.
• Safety with the electricity grid: training of safety ambassadors in the community, workshops on energy and safety at Carnival, as well as guidance actions in community spaces to prevent accidents.
• Energy Efficiency: implementation of the Energy with Citizenship project in Curuzu and educational activities on the rational and efficient use of energy for the community.

Culture and development hand in hand

The partnership, which includes part of the investment made possible by the Federal Culture Incentive Law (Rouanet Law), underscores the commitment to unite tradition, culture and social responsibility, strengthening the legacy of Ilê Aiyê and expanding Neoenergia's positive impact in Bahia.

Among the initiatives covered by the sponsorship are the bloco's parades during Carnival, the Mãe Hilda School, which promotes anti-racist education, and the Band'Aiyê project, which connects Ilê's music to new generations. Here are examples of Ilê's events and initiatives for 2025:

• Band'Êre Project: a percussion, singing and dancing school for children and teenagers with classes in Afro-Brazilian History, Interpretation and Languages, Musical Rhythms and Body Health.

• Black Music Festival: a music competition in which the finalists win the Black Bird Trophy and the winning songs become part of the carnival repertoire.

• Night of Black Beauty: cultural competition that highlights black beauty, including dance and music performances, and marks the choice of the bloco's Carnival queen, the Ebony Goddess.

• Freedom Walk: an event organized in partnership with the Forum of Black Entities of Bahia, which is a manifesto against racism and a celebration of black culture.