To the outsider, samba and the famous pre-Lenten carnival of which. These communities were dominated by the tias baianas ('Bahian aunts'), real matriarchs and ialorixás (priestesses) of African-based religions who organized large celebrations in their homes, at the bottom of their gardens: the renowned quintal. Samba is Brazils national rhythm, the foremost symbol of its culture and nationhood. The musical style originated at the end of the 19 th century in Rio, in the port areas of Saúde, Gamboa and Santo Cristo, home to former slaves from the Nordeste. Originally, however, women played a predominant role in samba. 'When we founded the group in 2017, we were met with a whole bunch of contemptuous comments, like 'we're going to come and see you because you're pretty, even if you're not very talented,'' said Cruz.

The approach is anything but obvious because in Brazil, samba was for a long time an art reserved for men (in Portuguese, the word itself, o samba, is written symbolically in the masculine). 'We're fed up with being reduced to sexualized objects! We want to show that we are professional musicians, on an equal footing with men,' they said in unison. 'Our music is an act of political resistance against misogyny,' said Silvia Duffrayer, Barbara Guimaraes and Cecilia Cruz, the three 30-somethings who founded the all-female group Samba Que Elas Querem ('The Samba They Want'). They are a symbol of resistance – and a challenge to the male musicians whose smiles line the walls. Among them were the Daughters of Oyá, a tribute to an African-Brazilian deity, a fearsome warrior queen, sovereign of lightning and storms. The samba of the 'elite,' the so-called downtown samba, is popular music. And so, for those reasons and many more, Rio de Janeiro has to be the best place to experience Carnival in Brazil. We probably don’t need to tell you that Samba is now the centerpiece of Carnival in Rio and a quintessential Brazilian cultural staple. The whole venue swayed and buzzed with delight, as the audience sang out their favorite hits at the top of their voices. Afro-Brazilians also began to influence Carnival, too, and Samba music was introduced in 1917. However, on stage, both on vocals and playing the guitar, the surdo (a drum), the cavaquinho (a string instrument) and the agogo (a bell), there were only women. The owners had had the faces of Brazil's most famous musical genre's gods painted on the walls: Noel Rosa, Pixinguinha, Donga, Ubirany, Cartola, Moacyr Luz and Aldir Blanc – all men. It was not enough to deter the small crowd of revelers as they gathered around the entrance of Beco do Rato ('rat's alley'), a renowned samba club in the Lapa neighborhood. On a Friday evening in late July, a tropical downpour soaked Rio de Janeiro. To the outsider, samba and the famous pre-Lenten carnival of which it. LETTER FROM RIO DE JANEIRO The band Samba Que Elas Querem performs a song live at the Showlivre Colmeia 22 studio on May 13, 2022. Samba is Brazils national rhythm, the foremost symbol of its culture and nationhood. In Brazil, women are reclaiming samba musicĪs the creators of the country's most famous genre, paradoxically long dominated by men, a talented generation of female performers are re-establishing their place in the history of this art form.īy Bruno Meyerfeld (Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) correspondent) Published on August 27, 2023, at 6:00 pm (Paris)

Famous samba music