Rio’s Museum of Art Celebrates Spirit of Samba Next Friday

By Jack Arnhold, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Friday the 13th may be unlucky for some, but not for fans of samba, who will be treated to two live performances at Rio’s MAR, or Museu de Arte (Museum of Art) next Friday at Praça Mauá in Centro.

Samba Que Elas Querem (roughly translated as ‘Samba that they, the women, want’) are an all-female samba group who will be performing and reinterpreting classics from legendary artists such as Elza Soares and Jovelina Pérola Negra.

The group aims to promote female representation in music, and they champion their roda de samba (samba circle) as a place of respect and equality. Having made a great impression on International Women’s Day, they will no doubt provide another compelling performance.

Regarding their establishment, the group commented, via facebook, “Sure you will have a woman playing samba, yes! And driving buses, governing, producing, being technical, photographing and whatever else she wants to do and be! Because after all, a woman’s place is where she wants, is it not?” With the death of black, women’s rights activist Marielle Franco still fresh in people’s minds, the group’s performance will seem all the more timely.

Following this will be an all-male group of sambistas, Galocantô. Borne out of a samba-deprived Lapa music scene of the late 90s, Galocantô have been filling venues around Rio with the sounds of Samba masters such as Nei Lopes and Fred Camacho.

The samba icon, Beth Carvalho, who recently collaborated with the group, commented, “Galocantô is one of the best sets of samba today… It is not enough to just sing samba, you have to have the philosophy, live in samba, and these boys live.”

Before the show, at 5PM, the two groups will also participate in a conversation about the importance of samba in the culture of Rio de Janeiro.

What: MAR de Música presents Samba Que Elas Querem + Galocantô
When: Friday, April 13th, from 5PM
Where: MAR, Museu de Arte, Praça Mauá, 5 – Centro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 20081-240
Entrance: R$5 (concessions) R$10 (full-price) tickets can only be purchased at the Museum, not online.