Maracatu
The term maracatu denotes any of several performance genres found in Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. Main types of maracatu include maracatu nação (nation-style maracatu) and maracatu rural (rural-style maracatu).
Maracatu Nação
Maracatu nação (also known as maracatu de baque virado: "maracatu of the turned-around beat"), the most well-known of the maracatu genres, is an Afro-Brazilian performance genre practiced in the state of Pernambuco, mainly in the cities of Recife and Olinda. The term, often shortened simply to nação ("nation", pl. nações), refers not only to the performance but to the performing groups themselves.
Maracatu nação’s origins lie in the investiture ceremonies of the Reis do Congo (Kings of Congo), who were
Traditional nações perform by parading with a drumming group of 80–100, a singer and chorus, and a coterie of dancers and stock characters including a king and a queen. Dancers and stock characters dress and behave to imitate the Portuguese royal court of the Baroque period.
The performance also enacts pre-colonial African traditions, like parading the calunga, a doll representing tribal deities that is kept throughout the year in a special place in the nação's headquarters. The calungas, usually female, are traditionally made of either wax and wood or of cloth. They may have clothing made for them in a similar Baroque style to the costumes worn by the other members of the royal court. The calunga is sacred, and carrying this spiritual figurehead of the group is a great responsibility for the female Dama de Paço (Lady-in-Waiting) of the cortège.
The musical ensemble consists of
Today there are around 20 nações operating in the cities of Recife and Olinda. Although several have an unbroken line of activity going back to the 19th century, most have been set up in recent decades. Well-known nações include Estrela Brilhante, Leão Coroado, and Porto Rico. Each year they perform during the Carnival period in Recife and Olinda. Maracatu Nação Pernambuco, while not a traditional maracatu, was primarily responsible for introducing the genre to overseas audiences in the 1990s.
The genre has inspired the establishment of performing groups in a number of cities outside
.Maracatu Rural
Maracatu Rural, rooted in the Pernambucan interior, is also known as maracatu de baque solto, maracatu de orquesta, and maracatu de trombone. Although it shares its name with the maracatu nação found in that state's cities, it is substantially different in terms of narrative, practice, and instrumentation. It evolved in the early 20th century as a fusion of pre-existing forms of Carnival revelry. It is considered to be Afro-indigenous in origin. Its members, typically sugarcane workers, are involved in the native-influenced Catimbó religion. Maracatu rural has a high participation rate with dozens of groups in operation.
Maracatu cearense
Maracatu cearense is Fortaleza's variant of maracatu nação. Brought to Fortaleza, Ceará, in 1936, maracatu cearense has since been cultivated as the city's most distinctive Carnival performance tradition, owing in part to its use of
Every year, different maracatu cearense nations parade in Fortaleza's traditional municipal Carnival competition, normally taking place at Domingos Olímpio Avenue. The oldest nation, Az de Ouro (Golden Ace), founded in 1936, is still in operation. Other nations include Vozes d'África (Voices of Africa), Nação Fortaleza, Rei de Paus, Nação Iracema, and Maracatu Solar.
The use of
Contrary to the claims of most maracatu cearense participants, at least one Brazilian scholar sees the development of the tradition in Fortaleza to be intimately tied to a subtle racist discourse in Ceará that has mythologized itself as a non-black region of Brazil (thus, the justification for blackface), perpetuating Brazil's longstanding racist ideology of skin whitening.[3]
Further reading
- Conner, Ronald. 2009. "Brazilian Blackface: Maracatu Cearense and the Politics of Participation." Master's thesis, University of California, Riverside.
- da Silva, Ana Cláudia Rodrigues. 2004. "Vamos maracatucá!!! Um estudo sobre os maracatus cearenses. Master's thesis, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.
- Crook, Larry. Brazilian Music: Northeastern Traditions and the Heartbeat of a Modern Nation. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2005. ISBN 1-85109-591-8(ebook).
Notes
- ^ Conner, Ronald. 2009. "Nação Iracema's Rhythm vs. Az de Ouro's Ritmo Cadenciado."
- ^ Conner, Ronald. 2009. "Brazilian Blackface: Maracatu Cearense and the Politics of Participation." Master's thesis, University of California, Riverside.
- ^ da Silva, Ana Cláudia Rodrigues. 2004. "Vamos maracatucá!!! Um estudo sobre os maracatus cearenses. Master's thesis, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.
External links
- Pernambuco Trilogy – Part 3 English-language broadcast produced for the University of London's OpenAir Radio. This episode provides an in-depth report on maracatu rural.