Note from BW of Brazil: Song has a long history of providing the inspiration and soundtrack for great social movements. Emotionally-charged musical arrangements combined with thought-provoking lyrics often provide the spark for emotional highs that sometimes words or speeches alone may not. This is the feeling I got after watching and listening to a new song that came together after a number of artists from one of Brazil’s largest cities wanted to do something to address the ongoing genocidal murders of Afro-Brazilian youth. The stats and numbers tell the story but these numbers cannot express the pain, grief and sorrow felt by thousands of mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters of the more than 23,000 black youth that are murdered every year in Brazil. Very powerful and inspiring to see so many of these artists who have their own individual careers come together as a collective to address a tragedy that no one seems to care about.
“Deixa o Erê Viver” (Let Erê Viver) – video brings together black artists from Belo Horizonte in song against the genocide of black youth, including names such as Sergio Pererê, Maurício Tizumba and Vander Lee
Nós Temos um Sonho (we have a dream) is the name of the collective project of black artists from Belo Horizonte, whose name is inspired by the celebrated speech of the Rev. Martin Luther King, one of the main names in the struggle for the civil rights of black Americans. The meeting of musicians representing different genres of music, such as Samba, Soul, Reggae and Rap, among others, resulted in the video “Deixa o Erê Viver”, meaning Let Erê Live, whose message denounces violence against the black community at the same time in which it brings such a look of hope so necessary in these times.
The song and video, recorded in February 2016, earns a special tone as one of the last works of the late singer and songwriter Vander Lee, an artist who died in August 2016, who on several occasions put his music in favor of popular causes. The recording also included appearances by Lu Daiola (creator of the project), Richard Neves (music production), Sergio Pererê (composition and musical direction), Tamara Franklin and Douglas Din (composition) and voices of Celso Moretti, Dokttor Bhu and Shabê, Josi Lopes, Michelle Oliveira (Cromossmo Africano meaning African Chromosome), Roger Deff (Julgamento), Izaque Bohr, Mandruvá, Denominado Chu, Bárbara Hannelore, Lana Black, Marcela Rodrigues (Berimbrown), Polly Honorato, Eda Costa, Guilherme Ventura and Maurício Tizumba.
The celebration will feature pocket concerts of the artists involved and was held on December 3, at 4 pm, at the Centro Cultural Nem Secos (Rua São Salvador, 9 – Bonfim, Belo Horizonte), with free admission.
The music video has been available since November 4th at https://www.facebook.com/nostemosumsonho.
Dreams and inspirations
Lu Daiola says that the idea came from the news of the slaughter of the five young people in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro in 2015. “I saw a narrative of (rapper) Tamara Franklin in social networks, an outburst, and it bothered me. So I wanted to do something to talk about it. I invited more people who were also bothered to talk together. Thus came the video, based on this idea of how musical tributes leverage visibility on these issues. An artistic protest,” she says.
The release of the video “Deixe o Erê Viver” is the first action of the project, which has Sérgio Pererê in the musical direction and composition of the song, made in partnership with Tamara Franklin and Douglas Din. “The song denounces sedimented and naturalized crimes in an everyday of silent persecution, embedded with bullets, that prevent our children from returning home. We want to strengthen a cry of love. This initiative is a response of artists to the genocide of black youth and to institutionalized racism,” explains Lu Daiola.
According to a study of the Mapa da Violência (Map of Violence) of 2014, prepared by the National Secretariat for Youth and the Secretariat for Policies for the Promotion of Racial Equality, about 56,000 people were murdered in 2012, 30,000 of them between 15 and 29 years old; of these, 77% were black youths living in the suburbs of metropolitan areas. International Amnesty research also confirms this worrying statistic, showing that more than 23,000 black youths are murdered each year in Brazil.
The project Nós temos um sonho aims to promote, in addition to the video and campaign in social networks, other social actions and cultural training. “We want to use art as a weapon of social transformation, since it has the power to touch and sensitize human hearts. The unity of all is very important, so we count on the presence of artists, politicians and people engaged in this struggle to strengthen our message of peace and love,” she concludes.
Source: BH Eventos
Very touching and cute. Though, unless blacks in Brazil understand the system declared war on them, I’m afraid theses little hippie songs won’t accomplish anything.
There is no massive revolt when blacks are murdered as is the case in the US – why would the powers that be give a fly to anything else?
I am so proud of this movement.