Oscar-nominated musician Carlinhos Brown leads the Afródromo Carnaval Procession to bring more racial diversity to Salvador’s segregated Carnaval

Musician Carlinhos Brown leads the Afródromo procession

Popular, Oscar-nominated musician Carlinhos Brown led the Afródromo Carnaval Procession in Salvador, Bahia, with hopes of bringing more visibility to black bloco afro groups that are often left with the short end of the stick in Brazil’s capital of African culture. For more background on the racial politics and exclusion that mask the party and music in heavily black Bahia every year, please see the related articles at the bottom of the page. 

 
Bloco afro parades through the streets

by Lucas Cunha

“We’re here to make a racial mixture of Carnival.” It was in this speech that the musician Carlinhos Brown led the beginning of the Afródromo Procession, a parade that brought to the Osmar circuit no less than 10,000 blocos afros members and 450 percussionists (according to figures from the organization of the procession), turning the Campo Grande area into a crossing of races, ethnicities and rhythms.

Brown and other bloco afro representatives at a press conference in January
 

 The parade has a political content to mark the presence of entities and blocos afros, aiming at the creation of Afródromo, an exclusive circuit for blocos afros, in 2014, a project that has a letter of intent approved by the current Secretary of Culture of Salvador, Guilherme Bellintanni.

 
Afródromo aims to bring more visibility to bloco afro groups of Salvador’s Carnaval
 

“We can speak of an historic moment, yes. We gathered all our communities, we’re here reproducing our cultural expression, but in a decent time. We are participating all together, but each one without losing their distinctive characteristics,” said the educational coordinator of the bloco afro Bankoma.

 
Bloco afro Bankoma
 

The parade also featured the participation of the deputy mayor of Salvador, Célia Sacramento (PV), who participated on the ground next to the drummers that were led by Brown, also the street.

Brown seized the moment to remember that the work of the blocos afros blocks continues not just during period of Carnival, “we’re here (at Carnival) for only seven days, but all 365 days they are there doing their job. And we must remember Neguinho do Samba (creator of the Samba-Reggae style, who died in 2009), who left his legacy to us.”

 
Members of female bloco afro Didá 

But Brown’s departure was marked by just a small incident, which ended up leaving the “Cacique of Candeal” (Brown) angry, complaining about various moments during the passage at the beginning of the circuit.

Precisely for calling so much attention, the beauty and uniqueness of the parade, a large number of photographers, cameras and fans made a barrier that prevented the passage of Brown and members of the percussion blocks.

“Everyone’s trying to shoot, take a picture. Then it seems that we are not organized. We are distant from the trio. We need to get there to make a beautiful party!” complained Brown.

Source: A Tarde

Related articles

Carnival season begins with accusations of “apartheid” against black bloco afro groups in Salvador

Bloco groups of Salvador, Bahia: Brazilian styled racial segregation

The continuous white appropriation of northeastern Afro-Brazilian Axé music

Edjane dos Santos Nascimento is crowned Ebony Goddess of 2012

Carnaval in Salvador, Bahia: Brazil’s own spin on apartheid

About Marques Travae 3747 Articles
Marques Travae. For more on the creator and editor of BLACK WOMEN OF BRAZIL, see the interview here.

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