Rio Hosts the First National Meeting of Women in the Samba Circle

By Jack Arnhold, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This Saturday, November 24th, will see the ‘Primeiro Encontro Nacional de Mulheres na Roda de Samba’ (First National Meeting of Women in the Samba Circle) being held simultaneously in states across Brazil and even in Argentina, with Rio hosting an event at Renascença Clube, situated in the Andarai neighborhood of the city’s ‘Zona Norte’ (North Zone).

The project, created by samba singer and composer Dorina Samba, aims to bring together musicians, singers, composers and producers, in order to bring attention to the strong female presence in samba, both current and historical, and spread the message of collective female empowerment to a wider audience.

This first national meeting will be taking place simultaneously in Belo Horizonte, Juiz de Fora, Brasília, Curitiba, Londrina, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Maceió, Recife, Salvador, São Paulo, and, of course, Rio de Janeiro. There will also be two meetings across the border in the Argentinian cities of La Plata and San Martín de los Andes.

The official opening will take place at 5PM with a simultaneous live broadcast from all the meetings, where the collective female samba circles will all join together and sing the same song, ‘Coisa de Pele,’ chosen by legendary sambista Beth Carvalho.

Taking place at Rio’s Renascença Clube in the North Zone neighborhood of Andarai, the day will be filled with events from 2PM until 10PM. At 2:30 PM there will be a ‘Roda de Conversa’ (Conversation Circle) on the theme of ‘Mulheres e a História do Samba!’ (Women and the History of Samba!) featuring contributions from Carolina Rocha, Carolina Alves, Marcela Velon, and Roberta Nistra.

During the day, there will also be an exhibition of photographs by Camile Salles; a workshop on how to recustomize old jeans and shirts with Marah Silva of Ateliê Cretismo; African Stories for Children with Lucileia Souza; and a clothes fair, featuring accessories, books, plus CDs and merchandise from the various artists performing.

At 4PM, there will be a special treat, with a ‘Jongo da Serrinha’ – a traditional music and dance performance featuring members of Rio’s historic ‘Casa do Jongo’ (House of Jongo). And then at 5PM, the samba circle will begin, playing well into the night, with different musicians taking part as and when they wish.

Many important artists have already confirmed their presence at the event, such as Elisa Lucinda, Nilze Carvalho, and Teresa Cristina. With the intention of being an event that will promote the appreciation of women in the samba world, the National Meeting of Women in the Samba Wheel will happen once a year, and each edition will choose a person to honor for their role in promoting women in samba.

What: Rio de Janeiro | 1° Encontro de Mulheres na Roda de Samba
When: Saturday, November 24th, 2PM-10PM
Where: Renascença Clube, Rua Barão de São Francisco, 54, Andaraí
Entrance: R$15-R$20; for more information, see the event page