Grounded in Freedom: Vamos Aquilombar 2026

Grounded in Freedom: Vamos Aquilombar 2026

About

Bring your friends and family for three days of connecting to land, building community, and celebrating the cultural arts! Grounded in Freedom: Vamos Aquilombar 2026 is a three-day gathering, with community and connection at the heart of our celebration. This event will take place from July 24 to 26 at Ayeko Farm in Enumclaw, WA, and will feature a series of workshops that explore the principles of land stewardship, the movements of Capoeira Angola, Samba, and Bhangra; skills shares in herbal medicine, Qi Gong, and sourdough bread making, kids' activities, and the communal joy of sharing meals made with fresh ingredients from the land. Our workshops are designed not just to share knowledge but are hands-on experiences that encourage participation, learning, and the exchange of ideas. They aim to inspire us to deepen our connections to ourselves and each other, the land, and our cultural practices. We are honored to have the presence of master teaching artists who come to share their skills, insights and joy with us as we explore the connections between the land and the cultural arts as tools of liberation, nourishment, and healing. As we celebrate and learn together, we will also inspire ourselves with the memory of many who came before us who struggled for freedom and not only believed another world was possible, but actively, and in the most precarious times, built this other world. “Vamos Aquilombar!" Quilombos, also known as Maroons in the US, are free societies built by Africans who escaped enslavement, along with Native Brazilians and Europeans looking for a life outside of colonialism. Key elements of Quilombos are self-governance, collectivism, land stewardship, growing food, martial arts and self-protection, spiritual practice, and music. Grounded in Freedom honors this history and aims to bring us into memory and continued practice today. This year, we will continue deepending our practice to aquilombar, and focus especially on honoring those who dedicate their lives to share knowledge with community as a way to strengthen all of us. [Eventbrite tags: State, Community & Culture, Camp, Trip, or Retreat, Dance, Samba, Cultural, Farming, Bhangra, Capoeira, Land]