Friday, March 8

"Zumbi" by Jorge Ben: Brazilian rebels slaves


Zumbi (1655 – November 20, 1695), also known as Zumbi dos Palmares (Portuguese pronunciation: [zũˈbi dus pɐwˈmaɾis]), was the last of the leaders of the Quilombo dos Palmares, in the present-day state of Alagoas, Brazil.

Quilombo dos Palmares was a self-sustaining republic of Maroons escaped from the Portuguese settlements in Brazil, "a region perhaps the size of Portugal in the hinterland of Bahia" (Braudel 1984 p 390). At its height, Palmares had a population of over 30,000. Forced to defend against repeated attacks by Portuguese colonists, many warriors of Palmares were expert in capoeira, a martial arts form that was brought to and enhanced in Brazil by African slaves at about the 16th century on.

There is more at Wikipedia but the reason I'm publishing this music is... it is amazing!

Great rhythm! Jorge Ben is one of the Brazilian geniuses musicians.
Click and listen for three seconds. Tell me if you don't feel like listening more. :)