Business Growth for Nutrition & Human Strength

in rural areas in the north of Djibouti, nomads use dromedaries as a transportation means for their food WFP Djibouti/Gaia Paradiso

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared 2024 as the International Year of Camelids, “aiming to build awareness of the untapped potential of camelids and to call for increased investment in the camelid sector, advocating for greater research, capacity development and the use of innovative practices and technologies” reads the statement from the organization.

Nutritional & health benefits for humans

Thanks to camelids products, including diary – milk and yoghurt, and camel meat – people eat healthy and are provided with key proteins, potassium, calcium and phosphorus, also boosting the immune system. The importance of camel milk in human nutrition lies in the fact that it is very similar to human milk , with a high level of water, proteins, minerals, lactose. As for medical properties and health benefits, some of the most common therapeutic uses of camel milk include its antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antihypertensive and anticholesterolemic effects as well as a great immune booster.

Lifeline for pastoralists in drought-affected countries

In arid and desert environments, camelids are resilient and they keep producing milk during drought conditions. In drought-stricken areas of the world, where continuous drought decimates cattle, sheep and goat populations, only the camel survives and continues to produce milk. This constitutes a lifeline for pastoralists, as a 50 % of their food intake comes directly from camel milk.

Camels Population & where to be found

In the world there are approximately 35 million camels, of which 1 million are Bactrian (two-humped, called camels) and the remaining are dromedary (one-humped). 86 % of dromedary camels are found in Africa, with the largest population in East and Central Africa (Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya). Africa is the major producer of camel milk in the world and it accounts for 90 % of the global fresh whole camel milk production.

SDGs related goals

In terms of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 for a more inclusive, peaceful, just and equal world, camelids, their dairy products, the nutritional intake on humans, nomadic and pastoralist lives and the resilience of both humans and animals to handle climate change shocks, can contribute to SDG 1 eliminate poverty, SDG 2 end hunger, SDG 3 good health and well-being, SDG 5 gender equality and the empowerment of women and the women economic sector, SDG 8 decent work and economic growth, SDG 9 industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10 reduced inequalities, SDG 12 responsible production and consumption , SDG 13 (building resilience to climate change) and climate action, and SDG 17 Partnerships for the goals.

Meet the Founder of The Camel Coffee Shop in Djibouti

Come to visit Djibouti, one of the smallest countries in the Horn of Africa, home to many different cultures , many different flavors and languages. With a population of 1 million people, it is a Crossroad of Cultures – Ethiopia, Yemen & Somalia, all gracefully living together in harmony and peace, in communities and dialogue, speaking French, Arabic, Somali, Afar languages.

Together, for instance, they sip Ethiopian coffee and taste Ethiopian injera. They rejoin with Yemeni fish and Arabic pita bread.

In Heron, one of the neighborhood of Djibouti, The Camel Coffee Shop opened in 2022 (check out the website, as well as Instagram and Facebook pages) .

It is the very first unique concept store in Djibouti, where Djiboutian culinary heritage is valued, brought up-to-date and revisited by the founder.

Ayanne runs the business, with local production of milk from three female associations who own camels at the border with Somalia, in rural areas. Ayanne accompanies the pasture process, making sure that camels eat healthy food, and then, the female associations dispatch the camel milk (in French, lait de chamelle) at the camel coffee shop, twice per day, in the mornings & in the evenings.

Ayanne is a strong resilient and impactful woman in Djibouti, who cares about the environment & the health of its customers. “Many Djboutians suffer from diabetes. Research and reality have shown us the beneficial effects of camel milk in human bodies, as diabetes stabilizes but never worsens” she says. She truly embodies women economic empowerment through the camelid sector, working with women and thriving together, through women associations, ensuring sustainable jobs and economic growth of the country. At the Camel Coffee Shop in Djibouti, words become practice and reality. The International Year of the Camelids is felt each and every day.

Cultural identity, Powered

Ayanne speaks about “returning to the Source, to the essence of Who We are, as Djiboutians” . If Culture passes by our food, we shall recognize, value and highlight the role of camel milk and local products in our diets” she affirms. ” We are what we eat, therefore we shall acquire the taste of our ancestors, who lived longer lives because they ate healthier food, from the Earth, and not processed food, with many preservatives and sugar, called junk food” she continues. The strong link of the Earth with the Food can be seen in human adaptations to climate shocks.

“People know what is good for them. They just need a little bit of guidance on healthy nutrition, coupled up with education on culture and our wonderful identity. Eating Local is always the best choice” she concludes.

Camel milk from The Camel Coffee shop, Djibouti

For the first time in Djibouti, she makes Camelccinos (cappuccinos with camel milk) , Camellattes (macchiato camel milk) Camelshakes banana, oreo, strawberry, mango (milshakes camelmilk) and Shaimelle (shai with camel milk).

To accustom the tastes of all clients, Ayanne has thought of “revisiting and adapting” recipes so that people get curious about trying camel milk and local Djiboutian products, including sorghum bread with cardamom and raisins, her special recipe.

Adapting, revisiting, appealing to the taste of modern Djibouti

The Camel Coffee shop setting, offering a wide variety of Djiboutian local products, as well as western patisserie

The Camel Coffee shop brand

As for traditional Djiboutian food, Ayanne brought local products back to life, which are very old seeds, including millet and sorghum.

Thank you & Welcome to Djibouti!

References/Sources:

Recent advances on camel milk: Nutritional and health benefits and processing implications—A review

UN FAO International Year of Camelids – Heroes of deserts and highlands: nourishing people and culture

International Year of the Camelids website 2024- FAO

FAO Official Logo and Presentation of the IYC2024, downloadable on this link

Spread the word about the #YearofCamelids and #IYC2024 on social media and in your communities throughout 2024 and beyond.

Start X on FAO, FAO Knowledge FAO News!

To get inspired, check out the FAO International Year of Camelids 2024 Trello Board!

Photos from the Digital FAO Library, an online journey that leaves you open-mouthed

Yours,

Gaia

Women, thriving & rising Together

Dear The Lighthouse Community!

Hello & Welcome to the 18th Edition of our weekly round-up of good news, upcoming events & upbeat music!

This week, news from the Humanitarian Pause in Gaza has lightened up our souls & hearts, with the Hope that the war will end soon & there will be no more human casualties of civilians and innocent people.

The 16 days of activism against gender-based violence 2023 is kicking off on 25 November, stressing the importance of the value of human beings & the Respect that both women and men shall give to one another, by caring for each other.

https://ormondgigli.com/ Girls in the Windows, New York, 1960 the making of the photo, on this video

Finally, an upcoming UNESCO Conference in Italy will review the progress of the 1972 Convention on World Heritage & the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Happy reading!

Gaia

Your music, in review:

Do not stop the music – Lionel Richie

Smile – Katy Perry, a chill song for giving thanks, during Thanksgiving & Friendsgiving day, Thursday 23 November 2023 this year

This must be the place – Talking Heads (great movie soundtrack, with Sean Penn)

Adventure of a lifetime – Coldplay (suggested by a new friend, from Egypt!)

Once upon a time – Simple Minds

Infinity – Guru Josh

Whenever, wherever – Shakira

Grease– Frankie Valli

I have never been there – Yann Tiersen (Amélie soundtrack)

More on…Humanitarian assistance, Women, Economics & Culture

On 24 November 2023, more humanitarian aid was delivered into Gaza, through the Egyptian Rafah Border Crossing, on the first day of announcement of humanitarian pause in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) , on this Note to Correspondents, enumerates more than 200 trucks of goods coming into Gaza, coupled with fuel to restore hospitals, bakeries and shops running of operations. Hundreds of thousands of people were able to receive life-saving water, food and medical supplies. Definitely the best & most promosing & hopeful news, since the start of the attacks in Gaza & Israel, last 7 october.

As today, 25 November, it is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the United Nations World Food Programme highlights the relationship between ending global hunger & supporting gender equality, through cash-assistance programs & women economic empowerment. With jobs, increased independence & autonomy, women are less vulnerable to exploitation & violence, and more equipped to build a better future for themselves and their families.

On the upcoming Naples conference, focused on Culture, you can find all the details, on this link. The conference will explore the active role and participation of communities in advancing progress of Culture as a powerful driver for peace & sustainable development of today’s & tomorrow’s generations. To understand more about the performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge & practices concerning the nature & the universe & traditional craftsmanship, as defined by UNESCO “Intangible Cultural Heritage” ZOOM IN on this Wonderful Map to see the list of intangible cultural heritage around the globe!

© Tapati Guha-Thakurta, India, 2014 – Inscribed in 2021 in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural heritage of Humanity, Durga Puja is an Indian annual festival worshipping the Hindu mother-goddess Durga

You can do the same, on this map, to check the list of World Heritage Sites around the world!

Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur (Egypt)
© Editions Gelbart
Author: Jean-Jacques Gelbart

Image above, from the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites – Egypt – Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur

…Ps thoughts

Keep exploring Life!

Gaia

The Road map to Be Global Citizens

The Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, hosting the history of the Peace Prize laureates and their work, is an area of reflection and debate about important social issues related to war, peace and conflict resolution. Similarly, universities, and the role of humanities within the universities, have a central role to play in shaping critical minds and training people to think about things.

By reading some print-interviews on the UNESCO Courier, a quarterly magazine published by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, since 1948, I was enlightened by the way the Nobel Peace Center, UNESCO and universities can teach and instill knowledge and values that can be transformed into actions that can benefit people and their communities.

At the Center, the Educational Team has a project on learning by problem-solving rather than by learning facts by heart. It is a method questions-answers based, where children are being taught the importance of children’ s rights, and questioned on difficult cases (poverty, war, conflicts, racism, environmental disasters, the absence of democracy and human rights) based on true-life dilemmas. This method is very relevant as it helps build critical thinking.

Universities, especially humanities, teach and retrace history, as a way of understanding the world and its global challenges. The role of intellectuals is to be disruptive by the questions they pose to society, by the critical position they take vis-à-vis the authorities, or the way they decode the meaning-always, the meaning- that is hidden, disguised or obscured under the continuous flow of information, in which we are all submerged. The understanding depends on culture, a profound culture- a culture nurtured by the breadth of history: a multilingual culture, a culture which is concerned with its origins, which researches them, and tries to deepen our understanding of them, and thus “tries to understand its own present and envisage its future” -says Jean Winand, a professor at the University of Liège, Belgium.

A culture concerned with origins makes me reflect upon the History of Africa, too long forgotten and with the desire to be brought to life, and told, by Africans to Africans and to the World. This is the reason for the UNESCO General History of Africa volumes, and the importance of the true narrative of Africa. To be taught in schools, and in all African Universities. This is a must and hopefully we can witness it in this lifetime.

Fernando M. Reimers, Professor of International Education Policy Program at Harvard University, believes in advancing the understanding of the ways schools can empower students to participate civically and economically, and the help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. “Being Global Citizens starts from a young age, by cultivating a positive mindset, including ethics, knowledge, social competencies and self-knowledge, aligned to the development of capacities that would help students develop a global consciousness- while cultivating their motivation and skills to address global challenges” he states.

Central to the conception of global competency is the notion of empowerment, by cultivating a mindset that each individual can make a difference, can take initiative and act in leadership roles.

What is Education but the construction of opportunities for people to develop the skills and mindsets that help them live in ways to advance worthy goals? With this question, professor Reimers makes us think.

In the photo, the new project of Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, representing #Peace with the image of Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani young activist for female education and Nobel Peace Prize laureate of 2014. The mural is on the facade of the “Museo dell’Altro e dell’Altrove” in Rome, Italy.

Small playlist to delight your ears

Quero ser feliz também– Natiruts

Decode– Paramore

Norway– Beach House

Lifeline– Ben Harper

A higher place– Adam Levine

One call away– Charlie Puth

@GaiaParadiso

We need Peace in our Hearts & our Minds

Lately I have been thinking about the world happenings, and I had not realized such an incredible amount of dark actions, induced-suffering (both physically and mentally) to self and others, and the misery of lost souls meandering around the globe killing innocents for the sake of redemption, for no particular reasons at all or as the result of repressed anger, fears and aggression.

I have followed the latest happenings in Tel Aviv, as both Israeli and Palestinians are left alone in this neither “peace-nor-war limbo” for decades. A frustrating environment surely contributes to the perpetration of these acts. The Orlando shooting on Saturday, where the gunman calls for a God’s punishment on gay people, is the result of a violent mind, not touched by compassion, affection and love. These examples, found on our everyday life, are terrible and make me speechless everytime, not counting the attacks of Boko Haram in Nigeria and the consequent flow of refugees and internally-displaced people in the surrounding Chad, Niger and Cameroon, as well as the continuous tensions in the European Union due to the inability to cope with the increasing influx of migrants claiming asylum.

Today I was discussing with Patrice, a Senegalese friend, about the meaning of Peace in the hearts and words of people. We started talking about the role of religion and the harmony it brings to people, uniting them in prayers and in singing, participating together in the reading of the Quran or the Bible, and the marvelous and irreplaceable feeling of Not feeling alone on this planet. Senegal is a wondrous example of the perfect harmony of religions, where both Christians and Muslims co-live in Peace, and, rightly said, Harmony. Jama Rek, “I am in Peace” is the daily expression they use in the local language, wolof, to express peace of hearts and words.

A Culture of Peace stands in the minds of a whole nation, as Mahatma Gandhi used to say, and this country is a role model example for the whole West Africa ( I can speak for this region since I am still quite new and willing to learn more about this huge and amazing continent). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, in its General Assembly resolution “Towards a Culture of Peace” defines culture of peace as a “set of behaviors and ways of life that reflect and are directed towards respect for life, for human beings and their rights, the rejection of violence in all its forms, the recognition of the equal rights of mean and women, the recognition of the rights of everyone to freedom of expression, opinion and information, attachment to the principles of democracy, freedom, justice, development for all, tolerance, solidarity, pluralism and acceptance of differences and understanding between nations, between ethnic, religious, cultural and other groups and between individuals”.

This attitude is entangled with the willingness of getting to know the other, the person you do not know, breaking the barriers of fear and accepting to open our heart to intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding and communication. It is hard and it requires calm, patience, vulnerability, full attention and, truly, a peaceful open heart.

Patrice, speaking about the main difference he finds with Europeans, tells me that in our “European” eyes we seem to have lost God, this inner connection that allows us to reflect and value the people around us. “Establishing a human contact, by talking with another person for instance, triggers an empathic effect, where you understand, forgive and are compassionate towards the other person, it is automatic”.

I shed into tears while listening to him. When you dig inside yourself, you can find a treasure and you can find many things you can improve and you can learn. Living together implies a full consciousness of yourself, of your limits, of your capabilities and the acceptance of what you cannot do or what simply you do not like. Of course no one is perfect and it is mathematically not possible to know yourself 100 % ( it is the adventure of our lifetime, as Coldplay sings) but, by one single smile and by shaking one hand, you can open up one person’s heart and, at the same time, open you heart as well.

“Gaia, if you can teach us how to do business and customer service, we can teach you how to love” Patrice ends up. And, guess what, I like it and I want to feel my heart and other people’ one.

PS. Use your time and your life wisely. There is always one. And you leave the rest to God, personified in the people you are with who can guide you, inspire you, encourage and motivate you. The people who want to see the best and bigger picture of you. People who love you for who you are and continuously push you to be better, stronger, more compassionate, happier and fulfilled.

Featured image: Peace sign by Picasso

My message on World Environment Day: Love the Earth with a committed smile, acts of gentleness and deep responsible care

This year I am celebrating World Environment Day, a day of care towards the planet and respect of natural resources and public spaces on earth in the city of Dakar, Senegal, a city of sports, ocean and nature.                                                   Coat of arms of Dakar, Senegal

World Environment Day (WED) is observed every year on June 5 to raise global awareness and to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and it is important for encouraging worldwide awareness and proactive actions for the protection of the environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries.

Care for the planet, as Pope Francis addressed members of the Jain community in Rome on June 1st 2016, is to Care for creation, and calling creation a “gift that we all received”: “Creation is God’s mirror, the mirror of the Creator, the mirror of Nature and it is Our mirror too”.

Caring is Loving. And Loving is Caring. “We all love mother Earth, because she is the one who has given us life and safeguards us; I would also call her sister Earth, who accompanies us during the journey of our existence. Our duty is to take care of her just as we would take care of a mother or of a sister, with responsibility, with tenderness and with peace”. Pope Francis added.

On the urban and rural areas, in our realities, we are living in houses, villages and cities that we should take care of. A special link to me is the health benefits correlated with living in environments that offer green spaces and areas for adults and kids. 

According to a Urban Greening Research from the University of Washington, the quality outdoor environments affect activity attitudes and behaviors. Urban greening contributes to more walkable places, trees and other greening elements can encourage physical activity. The binomial green spaces and physical activity is a perfect combination of a healthy and happy lifestyle, more prone to others, to caring, to loving and to contributing to a more livable existence. Small steps to exercise, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking 5 days a week for instance, reduces health risks.

The city of Dakar offers some green areas in downtown (the main plaza Place de l’Indépendance, the beautiful park of the Town Hall-called in French Hotel de Ville) , the forest and zoo in the neighbourhood of Hann, Parc de Hann  and some other spots soon to be discovered; most of all, Dakar is a city by the ocean, and this makes it really enjoyable for the Senegalese population, fond of outdoor sports and run, as well as for tourists and expats, to breath clean air by the sea. For this, outdoor gyms are placed in the seashore of la Corniche- literally, at the ridge of the seashore- for people to work out and play outdoors (more, Football is the national sports and many young Senegalese spend hours on the beach to play).

Park inside the Town Hall in Dakar, Senegal

To perform physical and recreational activities outdoors, both for professionals, amateurs and for children to play in playgrounds and be in touch with nature, an efficient system of urban recycling, waste and water management, as well as a civic environmental education and conscience and the community responsibility to take care of its surroundings ( for instance, throw trash in the bins and place trash in public areas if they are not, plant trees) are good practices to establish a common sense of belonging, caring and loving the planet we are living in. Starting from the streets, the neighborhoods and the community we live in. 

A good practice of setting up trash bins in public areas, park of the Town Hall in Dakar

In this sense, Culture is a great tool able to present, explain, promote and show the importance of having public spaces of reference to meet other people, exchange ideas and opinions and get inspired by nature and by cultural and artistic works surrounding the city. Creation and Protection of cultural heritage is thus a key component of harmoniously live on Earth, Take Care of and Appreciate the beauty of the World. UNESCO, the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of the United Nations is performing a wonderful job with its World Heritage Program, devoted to preserve the past and work on the present to pass on the legacy of heritage to future generations. As UNESCO states “cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration”.

So Nature, Humans, Culture and Living and Moving in society (through Sports for instance) are all interconnected. Interconnected through the red thread of Love towards the people and the places that we are surrounded by. I agree with what Theodore Roosevelt once said about the United States of America:“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” 

I would add to his words not to waste time and to take action. Let make days count, and let make the words of Theodore Roosevelt in practice, extending it to the world, each and every corner of our universe. Let’s Love the Universe. and Let’s plant flowers when building our home. 

Happy World Environment Day to everyone!!

 

The transformational power of Culture for Economic Progress and more Inclusive Societies

I recently read an article appeared on Il Sole 24 Ore, the Italian financial newspaper, which features an Italian businessman, Diego della Valle, founder of the firm Tod’s (leather bags and shoes) advocating for more culture & work in the Italian society. He, who privately financed the renovation of the Colosseum, one of the historic symbols of Italy, recognized the power of cultural heritage as the foundation of a new political economy.

A new spur in the economic wheel could be made possible by financing culture, preserving the cultural heritage and breathing history and as an economic tool for development ( both for tourism inbound and for Italians to truly enjoy their world heritage and take care of it). This trend of strengthening public-private business relationships can be a turning point and a truly important element in the development of societies where young people still struggle to find a job, and where social exclusion appears on the agenda of the day.

New forms of dialogue, multicultural understanding, tolerance and thus, progress, is possible thanks to the power of culture. Culture is everywhere and can be expressed through art, poetry, writings, literature, comics, magazines, newspapers, movies and cinema, visual and audio content, radio and television, music, fashion, design, architecture. The opportunity to increase local participation and thus include every citizen in the decision-making process and in the local sphere through the artistic expression of people in the communities, local artists and creative industries is key to expand the basin of development , foster creativity, learn to live together and build more conscious, responsible, ethical, sustainable and inclusive societies, based on knowledge sharing, understanding of differences and richness in diversity.

The power of Culture is mostly shown in cities. A good example materialized yesterday when I was visiting with a friend Matadero, a multidisciplinary open cultural and creative contemporary space that the town hall of Madrid opened in 2006 to favor the exchange of ideas and the creative participation of the citizens to create, offer food for thoughts, learn and enjoy.

Another project that caught my attention was Los Madriles, a urban development project to upgrade the state of the neighborhoods of Madrid by, for example, creating new green spaces and gardens, encouraging artistic development and opening cultural and social community centers. If you check the local initiatives of citizens in the city here, a map shows the projects and initiatives developed within the different districts, divided by themes: from sustainable urban spaces and sustainable consumption, to urban art, cinema, sports and education, passing by collaborative economy initiatives and projects to reach a higher level of social inclusion, respect of labor rights and equality among people and same opportunities no matter the  genders and the vulnerability of people.

These initiatives generate dialogue, sharing of knowledge, tools and experiences. Open spaces, free and for everyone, where you can go, sit and study in the computer labs, where you can go with your kids and play and have a picnic with your friends and a safe space where you can read and consult books and publications. A dynamic space for the community and to really feel part of the the city you are in and of the global village that surrounds you. I am learning that urban development, if it is sustainable and it includes all, can benefit the society and the people living in it, decreasing levels of violence and crime and allowing a more prosperous ground for ideas generations, open-mindedness and peoples’ understanding,

For more projects on urban development, local economic development, safer and more inclusive cities on a local and international level, check the policy papers of UN-Habitat, the Human Settlements Programme of the United Nations, here.

For more projects encouraging the building of more peaceful and inclusive societies, in the framework of cultural expression, creative industries, education and knowledge sharing and management and scientific research, i can redirect you to UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, here.

Let’s work for the advancement and the sharing of Culture and Knowledge within our living spaces, and, thanks to technology and social media, let’s expand and share our experiences for a more conscious, positive and impactful world where every voice is heard and can make a difference in our lives.

Ciao and see you soon!

Feel free to share your comments, thoughts and ideas!

@GaiaParadiso

Passistas de Samba & Pão de Queijo Lovers

I am discovering again the Brazilian culture, I love the people and the way they approach you, in an informal and kind way, teaching you samba steps and offering you smiles and happiness with music and joy. 

View of the city of Goiânia, downtown

Along with dancing, which I am a real fan of and I love experimenting new dance styles, I am listening new Brazilian samba songs and authors that I wish to share with you. In my spare holiday time, I am meeting great people, learning to cook Pão de Queijo, which is one of the most wondrous and delicious food you can ever taste in all parts of Brazil. Here the recipe, the secret is polvinho azedo which in English is called sour starch and it comes from manioc or mostly known as Cassava, a woody shrub cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas of South America. It is a major source of carbohydrates and it looks like a tuber. When dried, the Cassava is called tapioca.

photo 1. preparing Pão de queijo with Miss Marina in the city of Caldas Novas                                  photo 2. Manioc roots in the fruits&veggies market of the city of Goiânia

Samba dance finds its roots in Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions, particularly Angola and the Congo. It is recognized as the symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival and it is considered one of the most popular Brazilian cultural expressions. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization proclaimed Samba de Roda of the Recôncavo of Bahia a UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2005. Samba de Roda, which involves music, dance and poetry, developed in the State of Bahia during the XVII century and it encompasses many different rhythms, tunes, drumming and dances of various periods and areas of the Brazilian territory.

                    

In the indigenous language, “samba” means roda de dança, or a circle to dance since the indigenous peoples dances in celebration on many occasions, such as the celebration of popular Catholic festivals, Amerindian or Afro-Brazilian religious ceremonies, but was also practiced as improvisation. The choreography is often spontaneous and is based on movements of the feet, legs and hips.

The rhythm of samba is the unusually accented syncopated beat. The syncopated rhythm is also an indication of Black resistance against cultural assimilation. The Samba of Roda was considered an expression of freedom and identity of the unprivileged and became a means of liberation.

             

Samba de Roda was eventually taken by migrants to Rio de Janeiro, where it influenced the evolution of the urban samba that became a symbol of Brazilian national identity in the XX century.

Annual Carnival in Rio de Janeiro with a colorful parade of Escolas de Samba

The musical instruments used for playing samba are cavaquinho– a small string instrument of the European guitar family with four or gut strings and various types of guitar, and various percussion instruments such as tamborim. It is a 2/4 tempo varies with the conscious use of a sung chorus to a batucada rhythm, a substyle of samba referring to the African influences Brazilian percussive style, usually performed by an ensemble, known as bateria, at a fast and repetitive pace. Other instruments include snare drums called caixas, agogô bells, surdos, ganzas/ chocalho (shakers), timbal, pandeiro and the repinique. The apito is often used by the leader to signal breaks and calls. The most interesting instrument which gives the special sound of samba is the cuica, listen to its solo sound here, and here in a samba song.

The Samba National Day is celebrated on December 2. The date was established at the initiative of Luis Monteiro da Costa, an Alderman of Salvador, in honor of the Brazilian composer, pianist, soccer commentator and talent-show TV and radio host Ary Barroso. He composed “Na Baixa do Sapateiro” even though he had never been in Bahia. Thus 2 December marked the first visit of Ary Barroso to Salvador. Initially, this day was celebrated only in Salvador, but eventually it turned into a national holiday.

Enjoy the colors of the Samba and why not becoming a Passista (Samba dancer!) ? 🙂

Samba Playlist:

Não deixe o Samba morrer– Maria Rita

Roda- Elis Regina

Canto de Ossanha ( A Vida tem Sempre Razão)– Seu Jorge

Saudosa Maloca– Herois de Botequim

Magalenha– Sergio Mendes

Nas asas da da canção– Nelson Sargento

Expressão do teu olhar- Candeia

Sem ilusão– Elton Medeiros

Miragem– Guilherme de Brito

A flor e o espinho– Nelson Cavaquinho

Quem Me Vê Sorrindo– Cartola 

O sol e a Brisa– Zeca Pagodinho

Sede- Jorge Aragão

Sabor do Samba– Patricio Teixeira

Vai Saudade- Heitor dos Prazeres (1965)

Este samba foi feito pra você – Mário Reis (1935)

Para O Samba Entrar No Céu- Almirante & Bando de Tangarás (1931)

Brasil Pandeiro– Beth Carvalho e Ivete Sangalo

Herois de Botequim in Café Nice, Goiânia- Brazil