Overview
- Maricá’s mayor Washington Quaquá said Silvio Almeida accepted roles to lead a planned museum on African contribution to Brazil and to help structure the proposed University of the Sea.
- The invitation was made public after a meeting in São Paulo, which Quaquá posted on social media with praise for Almeida’s academic work.
- The museum plan sits alongside UniMar, a municipal university project announced in 2022 with Rio’s state university UERJ that has not yet been implemented.
- Almeida was indicted by federal police in November 2025 and formally charged by federal prosecutors in March 2026 with sexual importunation in a case now under seal at the Supreme Court under Justice André Mendonça, and he denies the accusations.
- The meeting included architect and investor Alex Allard and MST leader João Paulo Rodrigues, and Quaquá’s backing follows his earlier calls for “forgiveness” after President Lula removed Almeida from the cabinet in 2024 following public allegations, including by then-minister Anielle Franco.