The Bloco Malagasy is a Batucada group (an Afro-Brazilian percussion orchestra), today composed of more than 130 youth between the ages of 12 and 24 from Tulear, a city located in southwestern Madagascar.
The NGO Bel Avenir initiated Batucada courses in 2008 as a quality cultural activity for adolescents in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the city of Tulear, sponsoring performances advocating for human rights.
With the inauguration of the CAM, Art and Music Centre, on the part of Bel Avenir, supported by the Alta Mane Foundation, the group benefitted from a rehearsal studio, instruments and a general reinforcement of skills thanks to a percussion teacher and volunteer professional musicians from Spain and France.
The tour will enable the young Bloco Malagasy artists to become acquainted with the origins of the music they play. At the same time, it is an occasion for Brazilian youth, and in particular those of African descent, to get in touch with their African cultural heritage.
The tour takes place from July 3 to August 3, 2014 in the cities of Recife, Salvador de Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and San Paolo. During their stay in Brazil, the Bloco Malagasy will meet associations active in the artistic and social sphere.
