Mankind's Cultural Heritage in Brazil

EXPERTS WANT THE SAMBA TO BECOME UNESCO HERITAGE

 

The samba – the major Brazilian popular manifestation – is part of the Brazilian reality and identity. But now it can be granted a safeguard plan and become a World Intangible Heritage.

These are the aspirations that inspire the debate among experts, authorities, cultural managers, carnival designers and samba singers to ensure the samba legacy. The debate took place during a seminar held until Saturday at the Cartola Cultural Center, in the Mangueira Hill - the heart of one of the major samba schools of Rio de Janeiro.

According to the secretary of affirmative action policies of the Secretariat of Racial Equality Promotion, of the Presidency of the Republic, Martvus Antônio das Chagas, “there is nothing more tangible than the samba intangibility”.

Enlisted as Brazilian Cultural Heritage in 2008, the samba safeguarding should allow for preserving its roots and don’t let it die – said Marvus, paraphrasing a famous samba called “Não deixe o samba morrer” (Don’t let the samba die), composed in 1975 and performed by Alcione.

"Our idea is to allow the future generations to know this Afro-descendant legacy in Brazil, approaching the samba as a real thing rather than just a symbol. Understand the Carnival as an asset of all is our duty; however, knowing that Carnival is almost a genuine creation of Afro-descendants in Brazil is also a right” he stated to the Agência Lusa.

"Above all, the samba is a genuine fruit and product of the Brazilian culture”, he emphasizes, remembering that this is a heritage anchored in the Afro-descendant culture.

World Heritage

On the other hand, the superintendent of the National Artistic Historical Institute (IPHAN) in Rio de Janeiro, Carlos Fernando de Souza Andrade, advocates for the samba’s enlistment as Unesco Heritage thus promoting cultural interchanges among Portuguese-speaking countries.

"That is important because we would have the opportunity of talking to other Portuguese-speaking countries which are the main builders of the Brazilian nation. There are two matrixes: the Portuguese and the African ones which can interact through music”, he says.

According to Souza Andrade, samba is one of the best “interpreters” of cultural identity: "Brazil is characterized by a multi-cultural nature, the beat of African origin changed in Rio de Janeiro, appropriating other musical ways”, he says.

"Samba is our invention. It comes from Africa, but is genuinely from Brazil and Rio de Janeiro". However, he highlights that the samba musicality is also influencing the international popular music.

Expression

Samba itself does not need to be safeguarded, he says, because “it is a powerful expression, even in economic terms”. But is should be preserved as a “matrix”, with its cultural principles.

The safeguard plan elaboration process was discussed in that seminar which is expected to result in proposals capable of guiding the elaboration of public policies.

In a second stage, the Racial Equality Secretariat and IPHAN should analyze the proposals and submit them to UNESCO to assess the project in the category of World Intangible Heritage.

(Source: Agência Lusa)