In the same context, African study centres were set up in major universities in Brazil as a result of increased interest in various aspects of the societies of the African continent among Brazilian researchers, who focused primarily on finding links between the two sides of the Atlantic. The 'African spring' of the 1960s aroused feelings of identification among the members of the black diaspora in Brazil, as was the case with the anti-racist struggle in different parts of the Americas. More recent analysis has identified a need for a project to disseminate the notion of a racial democracy, triggered by the new economic interests of the Brazilian Government with regard to the African markets (Alberto, 2011, pp. 97-150).  
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[^0]:    4 The true story of Dona Romana da Conceição inspired Antonio Olinto to write a beautiful novel entitled A Casa da Água (The Water House), originally published in 1969, with successive new editions. It has been translated into several languages and has also become the subject of academic studies in Brazil.