Music touches the soul.  Dance lifts us off our feet.  History and culture gives us windows into other worlds.   Art inspires us.  Food... well food is just plain good!  We love all of these things as they exist on there own, but when an event comes around that combines them all - then there's something really to be excited about.  Throw in the fact that it's also free... I'm sold!

CapoeiraDC and Sambart Entertainment presents The Afro-Brazilian Arts & Cultural Heritage Festival (or AfroBrazilFest for short) in Washington DC from June 6th all the way through the weekend to June 12th.  Roda Magazine caught up with Instructor Morcego and Sonia who are in charge of putting on this shindig who gave us some great insight into what the event is all about.

RM: Give us a little introduction into the world of AfroBrazilFest. What's it all about?
AF: Instructor Morcego - The Afro-Brazilian Arts & Cultural Heritage Festival (or AfroBrazilFest) is a weeklong event, which is being organized by CapoeiraDC and Sambart Entertainment, in partnership with the Brazilian Embassy and Consulate.  AfroBrazilFest will be held June 6-12 in DC and will celebrate the many linkages between African and Brazilian culture.  We’re going to have performances and workshops in Capoeira, Samba, Samba Reggae, Maculel?Maracatu, Brazilian Fire Dance, Go-go, bboying, and West African dance and music; panel discussions; film screenings; a cooking and cachaca tasting; and a big party to close it out at Fur Nightclub.

Sonia - AfroBrazilFest is a tribute to the enduring spirit of the Brazilian people.  Brazilian history was born out of slavery and raised in oppression, despite those circumstances, Afro-Brazilians created a culture of their own through song, dance and music. This is why the festival is more than just a showcase of Afro-Brazilian art and culture--it is a celebration of the spirit of the African descendents in Brazil.


RM: What was the main inspiration for putting on a festival like his?
AF: Instructor Morcego - CapoeiraDC has people from all over, who share a common interest in Afro-Brazilian culture, as well as African traditions, which we realized were little represented on DC’s cultural scene.  DC already has festivals celebrating Latinos, the French, Asians, Italians, Greeks, and people from many other cultures, but there is no one set of events that celebrate the enormous and vibrant history of Africans in Brazil and elsewhere.  So, we saw a demand and ran with it.

Sonia - Brazil has the second largest population of people of African descent in the world, second only to Nigeria. The influence of former African slaves is evident in Brazil’s mixture of rhythms, customs, arts, beliefs, and gastronomy. This festival will honor, celebrate, and explore the massive influence and resilience of the millions of African people that created a unique sense of racial expression and cultural diversity in Brazil.  Afro-Brazilians have transformed their oppression into art, their cries became the haunting lyrics of a song their shackled bodies created liberating dances, their hunger and limited resources into culinary masterpieces, and the strength of their hardened hands powered the sounds of their drums.

RM: What do you think the most crowd drawing "big hits" of the event will be during the weeklong festival?
AF: Instructor Morcego - First of all, in the spirit of CapoeiraDC’s commitment to community outreach, people should roll through knowing that many of the festival's activities are free to the public.  That being said, I think the whole thing will be a hit – it just depends what you’re looking for.  If you’re a dancer, you’ll want to check out the samba and bboying performances and workshops.  If you’re a drummer or a music lover, you’ll want to check out the nights at Bossa Bistro and the evening of drumming.  If you’re a capoeirista, you’ll want to check out the capoeira rodas.  If you’re a food lover (which I am), you’ll definitely want to try the tasting nights.  And if you’re a partier (which many of us are) you will not want to miss the closing celebration at Fur.  But seriously, the festival has something for everyone.

Sonia - It’s hard to say, because the festival has a very wide appeal. We’ve tried to make everything as accessible as possible—the opening and closing celebrations featuring samba, capoeira, go-go, and other performances are free.  We also have Tonho Materia, one of the best musicians coming all the way from my hometown-Salvador-to perform at the festival.  Tonho Materia was a singer/songwriter for Olodum, one of the most popular carnival bands in all of Bahia, and now dedicates his time to community projects around Salvador. This will be a rare event for any music enthusiast.


RM: What’s your primary goal that you’d like to accomplish for this event?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - Again, I think that the festival fills a void that’s currently missing in DC in terms of cultural celebration and exchange.  There are so many of us in this city who are of African heritage, and also tons of families with lineage and history in Brazil, and the AfroBrazilFest is designed to celebrate all of us.  I’m Jamaican, and among our CapoeiraDC family we have people from Brazil, DC, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Russia, Italy, and tons of other spots on the globe.  The festival’s goal is to bring us all together through our common interest and passion for Afro-Brazilian arts.

Sonia - I hope everyone can see how art can uplift individuals and communities and bring together people of different backgrounds. Brazilian art and culture comes from a mixture of Native, African, and European cultures. This blend creates something that is even more beautiful than the three cultures separately.


RM: How do you think cultural events like these play into the people’s general perception of humanistic and artistic values? Do you think there’s a potential to influence individuals’ lives through this type of interaction - if so how?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - I’m a capoeirista, so I believe strongly in the power of physical and musical interaction as an influence in peoples’ lives.  We have a number of students whose lives have been turned around for the better through their involvement in capoeira and Afro Brazilian arts more broadly, and to be able to share this type of positive energy and interaction with the broader DC public will hopefully build community and promote cultural exchange.  Plus, we at CapoeiraDC like to clap, sing, and sweat, and as far as I know, those three things never hurt anybody.

Sonia - Events like AfroBrazilFest show the impact of art.  The kind of art we’re bringing—drumming, dance, song — it envelops all your senses. Once you see and feel the positive energy that it creates, you begin to understand how art can change people’s lives. Look at Brazil. In Bahia, where the school systems have failed the poor youth, the arts have come in and given them direction. The festival will show the impact of art with respect to the Afro-Brazilian experience, but I believe it is a truth that crosses all cultures, nationalities, and individuals.


RM: Who are you guys and how did you all come together to form AfroBrazilFest?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - Like I said, this event is being organized by CapoeiraDC and Sambart Entertainment, which is a Brazilian dance and cultural organization.  I myself am the Executive Director of CapoeiraDC, and my colleague, Sonia, is the Executive Director of Sambart Entertainment.  Sonia teaches Afro-Brazilian dance classes at the Capoeira Spot, and she and I have been friends for years, so the partnership was a natural fit for this type of event.  We also got the Brazilian Embassy and Consulate involved, so it’s quite a crew getting this thing ready.

Sonia - We’re average people who have been touched by some Afro-Brazilian art, be it samba, drumming, or capoeira. We hope to share the beauty of this art with the rest of the community, to enrich their lives as it has enriched ours.


RM: What’s been your most inspirational moment(s) thus far in working to create the event?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - I think discovering the level of interest in this event has been really exciting.  As soon as we put some feelers out, the number of interested participants and venues has been overwhelming.  So, we’re just happy to keep the energy and momentum going.  Hopefully the festival itself will be what’s ultimately most inspiring.

Sonia – For me it is the overwhelmingly positive response to the festival.  We have received so many emails and calls from people around the world supporting the event.  It has been amazing for me to see the interest in the African roots of Brazil.

RM: How many of you guys are Capoeiristas?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - CapoeiraDC has about 50 full time capoeiristas, who will all be participating in the event in some capacity.  In addition, we have dozens of musicians, samba dancers and fire dance performers, some coming in from New York and New Jersey, drummers and musicians, and a number of film makers and chefs all providing us with their talent and energy throughout the week.


RM: Has being involved in batizados helped you prepare for organizing an event like this?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - Sure, but it’s not just batizados.  In this year alone, CapoeiraDC launched a big capoeira encounter in Discovery Bay, Jamaica in March; we’ve organized monthly Festa For All Parties, which are centered around Forro Brazilian dancing; we’ve been doing performances every other week at local community centers and schools; and we’ve hosted a bunch of open houses and free classes for community members.  We do a lot, and are definitely growing as a non-profit as a result.


RM: How do you think cultural events like these play into the perceptions of Afro-descendant and Brazilian culture specifically?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - I think that the vibe, good energy, or ax? whatever you want to call it – that events like this generate is a way of linking people to their roots but also a means to share Afro-descendant traditions.  Like I said, CapoeiraDC has people from all over, but we all seem to share a passion for the good energy that our studio brings us, and we’re just trying to spread that to as many people as possible.

Sonia -  Events like AfroBrazilFest can only play a positive role in shaping the perception of Afro-descendants.  Often times in countries like Brazil people of African decent are relegated to second-class citizens. AfroBrazilFest celebrates and honors their positive contribution to society and culture and sheds light to their social and political invisibility.  It is my hope that this will be an annual event that eventually will play a stronger role in supporting poor communities in Brazil.


RM: Can families bring their kids along for the experience?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - Absolutely.  CapoeiraDC is a family-friendly organization and in that spirit, the vast majority of the events are kid friendly.  In fact, the kids in our capoeira and samba program will be performing at the Opening and Closing Celebrations.  Plus there are youth-only workshops on Saturday, June 11.


RM: What events during AfroBrazilFest are you as the organizers most excited to see or participate in?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - I’m excited for it all, man.

Sonia – I’m a dancer so I’m very excited about the workshops, performances, and of course the party.  But I’m also looking forward to the panel discussions on Afro-Brazilian identity and music of the African Diaspora.


RM: Will there be a roda?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - How could you plan an Afro-Brazilian Festival without a roda?  There will be lots of them. But if you’re a capoeirista and would like to kick around with us, I’d recommend coming to the closing celebration at the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza on Sunday, June 12th.  We’ll have an open roda that you can participate in that day.


RM:  What are some ways people can contribute to Afro Brazil Fest or get involved?
AF: Instrutor Morcego - Promote the event!  Check us out on facebook, twitter, and on the web – like our facebook page (www.facebook.com/afrobrazilfest), register for events, and tell your friends (http://www.afrobrazilfest.com).  Also, if you’re a local business-owner and would like to sponsor the event, in exchange for some great advertising, feel free to contact us through the Afro Brazil Fest website.  You can also just go ahead and make a donation through a link on the same page.  We would love any support people are willing to offer.

Sonia – Like Morcego said, spread the word.  There is really something for everyone’s interest.