Representing Alameda County Supervisorial District Five —
Alex Jaga Sousa one of two Arts Leadership Award recipients for District Five of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Alex Jaga Sousa, known as Jaga, is a leader of the Afro-Brazilian artistic community in Oakland and the Bay Area. For two decades, Jaga has served as the community’s “baobab tree” which is a symbol of resilience, life and the interconnectedness of nature and culture. Migrating from Salvador Bahia, Brazil in 2001, Jaga has worked hard to bring healing to the Brazilian diaspora, BIPOC and immigrant communities through the arts. Jaga fights against oppression and racial injustice through various art forms that represent cultural resilience. Jaga is committed to elevating the histories of communities that are often silenced. Jaga was a coordinator and program manager for the Wellness in Action Fellowship administered by the Center of Empowering Refugees and Immigrants. He manages a grassroots percussion ensemble and, for over 17 years, Jaga has been an instructor at the International Capoeira Angola Foundation located in West Oakland which is dedicated to the practice, preservation and growth of Capoeira Angola, an African-Brazilian art form combining dancing, martial arts, acrobatics and live music. Alex Jaga Sousa is a resident of Oakland.