A Brazilian singer and songwriter originally from Salvador de Bahia, Nilza Costa grew up immersed in Afro-Brazilian traditions, discovering Candomblé and Yoruba culture at a very young age. Having moved to Italy in 2006, she has developed a musical style in which African rhythms and Brazilian musical forms—from capoeira to samba duro—coexist with improvisation and jazz.
At the LAC, she presents Cantigas, the heart of her artistic exploration: sacred songs in Yoruba, Kimbundu and Portuguese which, in the Afro-Brazilian tradition, serve as a bridge between the human world and the Orixás, deities of the Yoruba religion and the syncretic practices widespread across Brazil and the Caribbean. Her music gives voice to spirituality, nature and the stories of struggle, pain and dignity of the Black diaspora, transforming memory and faith into a sonic narrative.