The Master of the African Drum and Sovereign Legacy: Ernesto Da Silva on The Journey – Africans in Verona
In the landscape of modern business and narrative strategy, we often talk about “assets” in terms of real estate, stocks, or intellectual property. But for Obehi Ewanfoh Legacy Story Consultant and founder of AClasses Academy, the most potent asset any human being possesses is their story.
Learn How to Leverage Your Story through our Story To Asset Framework.
Through his decade-long research project, “The Journey,” Ewanfoh has documented the lives of Africans in Northern Italy to prove a singular point: the experience of migration, when processed through the right framework, is a goldmine for Institutional Sovereignty.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the life of Ernesto Da Silva. A world-class percussionist and educator from Guinea-Bissau, Ernesto’s story is a great example in Ewanfoh’s Story to Asset™ framework.
He didn’t just move from Bissau to Verona; he translated a thousand-year-old tradition into a modern, sovereign institution that spans two continents. Now let’s break it down for better understanding.
Excavation – Digging for the Source Code
The Excavation Phase of the Story to Asset™ framework is about identifying the “origin story” hidden within raw data. For Ernesto, the raw data begins in 1986. While many view migration as a flight away from something, Ewanfoh’s research shows that for pioneers like Ernesto, it was a flight toward a higher calling.
Ernesto started his career as a dancer in the Balletto Netos de Cansalà, a group famous for winning carnival competitions in the West African country of Guinea-Bissau.
He wasn’t just a performer; he was a student of the rhythmic “source code” of his people. By the time he reached the world stage at Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany, he was a seasoned veteran.
“I have been here for almost 10 years,” Ernesto told Ewanfoh during their interview. “I had started making music, let’s say, a long time ago. I started in ’86, first with dance. With that group, I started learning to play percussion.”
Ewanfoh’s excavation reveals that Ernesto’s “asset” wasn’t just his ability to hit a drum; it was his deep-rooted understanding of music as a social and cultural fabric.
When he moved to Portugal and eventually to Verona in 2002, he wasn’t arriving as a “migrant worker” looking for a job; he was an Export of Culture.
Translation – Decoding the Language of the Drum
The Translation Phase is where the struggle of living between two cultures is turned into a clear brand message. For an African artist in Northern Italy, the challenge is immense: how do you make a society with a completely different musical language understand your value?
Ernesto’s genius lies in his ability to decode the Bumbulum. In the West, a drum is often seen as a simple instrument for keeping time. In Ernesto’s world, it is a telephone.
“Bumbulum is a traditional instrument… an instrument of communication,” Ernesto explains. “Once in Guinea, it was used to communicate to people if something happened. There was a world that was played, and the type of message they wanted to transmit was understood.”
Through Ewanfoh’s lens, this is the ultimate Translation. Ernesto took a stereotype and translated it into a sophisticated system of Intercultural Communication.
He positioned himself not just as a drummer, but as a bridge-builder. He realized that the “So What?” for the people of Verona was the chance to learn a new way of connecting with one another.
Alignment – Building the “Sovereign” Foundation
One of the most dangerous traps for the Diaspora is Economic Tenancy, relying on external systems, grants, or temporary gigs to survive. Ewanfoh’s framework demands Alignment: moving toward ownership and institutional independence.
Ernesto’s biography shows a relentless drive toward this goal. After arriving in Verona to play at the Festival dei Popoli at Villa Buri, he didn’t just wait for the next festival invitation. He began to align his skills with the local infrastructure:
- 2004: He created the Bantaba school of dance and percussion.
- 2009: He became an instructor at the Mat Records music school.
- 2015: He joined the High Music Training Academy of Verona as a teacher of “Drum and Voice.”
By teaching, Ernesto was no longer just a performer who could be replaced; he became an Institution. He was creating a very market that would sustain him.
He aligned his personal art with the educational needs of the city, ensuring that he was a vital part of Verona’s cultural “Institutional Sovereignty.”
Creation – Turning Culture into Content
In the Creation Phase, we look at how an individual produces high-impact content that converts their story into a tangible legacy. For Ernesto, his “content” is his students and his ensembles.
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He didn’t just teach; he formed the group Djambadon with his students. This group now performs across Italy, acting as a living advertisement for Ernesto’s expertise. But he went further, merging his traditional roots with modern sounds to create something entirely new.
“I feel a responsibility. If you have to teach a person something of your culture… You have to know how to transmit it well, give them something they can understand.”
His collaboration with groups like the Mozaika Multicultural Orchestra and the creation of albums like Es e tempo di Djemberem (2009) are examples of Creation.
He didn’t just preserve the past; he created a future where African percussion sits comfortably alongside Jazz, Blues, and Rock in the heart of Italy. He proved that an authentic story, told well, can convert any audience.
Legacy – The Fortress of Peace
The final phase of the framework is Legacy. Ewanfoh’s goal for every Diaspora leader is to establish a “Fortress of Peace”, a state where your family’s future is protected by the institutional weight of your brand.
Ernesto’s legacy is not just in the thousands of Italians he has taught to drum. It is in his 2019 creation: the Bantaba Association of Social Promotion, which has a branch in his home country, Guinea-Bissau (EMAC BANTABA).
By establishing a music and scenic arts school back home, Ernesto has completed the circle. He has used his “Journey” to build a bridge that allows talent and resources to flow both ways. He is no longer an “Economic Tenant” in Italy or an “exile” from Guinea-Bissau. He is a Sovereign Citizen of a global cultural empire.
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“Sometimes, there are things that don’t exist here (in Italy)… and to be able to assimilate this is hard for them. But with all the desire they have inside… sooner or later they succeed.”
Lessons for the Ordinary Person
You might be reading Ernesto’s story and thinking, “I’m not a master drummer. How does this help me?”
Obehi Ewanfoh’s research is designed exactly for this question. Ernesto’s story is a blueprint for anyone trying to “own their genius.” The lessons are universal:
- Don’t Just Work; Communicate: Ernesto didn’t just drum; he taught people how the drum “speaks.” Whatever your job is—accounting, coding, parenting—find the “message” inside the task. That is your asset.
- Education is the Key to Sovereignty: If you are the only one who can do what you do, you are a worker. If you can teach others to do what you do, you are a founder. Ernesto’s transition to teaching was his path to independence.
- Build Your Own “Bantaba”: Don’t wait for the world to give you a platform. Ernesto created his own school in a school gym (Massalongo) and grew it into an international association.
- Protect Your Narrative: Ernesto’s responsibility to “transmit his culture well” is a reminder that if you don’t tell your story accurately, someone else will tell it poorly.
Your Story is Waiting
Ernesto Da Silva’s journey from the carnival stages of Bissau to the academic halls of Verona is proof that your past is not a weight; it is a launchpad. But you cannot launch without a strategy.
This is where AClasses Academy comes in. Obehi Ewanfoh created the Story to Asset™ courses to help people just like you, business owners, diaspora leaders, and ambitious professionals, to stop being “Economic Tenants.”
Whether you are looking to build a brand, write a book, or secure your family’s future, you must first learn how to
- Excavate,
- Translate,
- Align,
- Create,
- And Leave a Legacy.
Are you ready to turn your “Journey” into an asset? Visit AClasses Academy today. Don’t let your history stay in the “research” phase. Turn it into the fortress of peace you deserve.
