For years, most Americans have associated Brazil with samba, overlooking the numerous regional rhythms and music styles, which are tremendously popular throughout Brazil. A perfect example is Maracatu- a dynamic rhythm from the northeast, propulsive and dramatic, steeped primarily in African traditions with heavy religious overtones. In the last ten years, the biggest musical success story out of Brazil has been the explosion of music from the economically impoverished, culturally rich northeast. World-famous musicians like Chico Science and the Mangue beat movement that sprung up around him used Maracatu as a springboard for contemporary fusions in the same way that Jorge Ben Jor, and other MPB artists used samba a generation earlier.
Maracatu Nação (nation) or Maracatu de Baque Virado (maracatu of turned-around beat) is a cultural performance that has been primarily linked to the crowning ceremonies of African slaves in Recife (capital city of Pernambuco). Approximately 400 years ago the enslaved Africans crowned their own king (King of Congo) inspired by the Portuguese colonizers. The King of Congo was a black African (slave or freeman) who acted as an intermediary between the government and the African slaves and the crowning ceremonies were associated to the Catholic Black Brotherhoods. Most researchers believe that the crowning part of the ceremony of Maracatu de Baque Virado and that the royal court accompanied by a percussion group are elements that symbolize the colonial crowning ceremonies.
Although Maracatu de Baque Virado is a secular form of music it has deep religious overtones. With an increasing persecution of the Catholic Church against the black community in Brazil, in the beginning of the XIX the relationship between the black communities and the Afro-Brazilian religion became stronger and more explicit. The maracatu nação groups in Recife are linked to the Afro-Brazilian religions of Candomblé and Jurema. Members of the traditional maracatu groups make regular offerings to their Orixás and often attend religious ceremonies in their terreiros (religious houses). Each maracatu group is connected to an Orixá and also pays tribute to their ancestors (eguns).
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