We organise and collaborate in outreach programmes across London and Brazil.
Education Outreach
During 2019 as a founding member of Tambores Livres (Free Drums), a not-for-profit project supported by the Arts Council Maxine McCarthy, of Baque de Axé, planned and coordinated a music program that gave children across London the opportunity to share in music. We created nine drumming workshops in London schools and community centres worked with 400 young people to develop drumming, communication and team building skills.
“I am developing approaches to working in schools and community groups with this music and its traditions, developing musical expression as a way of communicating, collaborating, and working together towards a common goal. How can we play music together? How do we make our message heard in a positive way? What different roles can we take to achieve that result? How can we be responsible, have fun and be creative all at the same time?”
Maxine McCarthy
As a key founder of Tambores Livres we brought together cultural and musical groups from the UK and Brazil to share knowledge and celebrate Afro-Brazilian culture, whilst raise awareness of the social and environmental issues facing Brazil today for Notting Hill Carnival 2019. As artists and teachers we can communicate an understanding of how the rich history of music, folklore, and carnival in Brazil and London, has been shaped by different peoples and cultures, and how this diversity is a strength.
Feedback
“The drumming session was positive, lively and child centred”
“We got so much happiness, excitement and cultural songs”
“We all learned about rhythm, listening and turn taking”
“We learned about the words to the songs and the names of the instruments”
“We are very interested to learn more especially good was the team building aspect of the session”
“It was a fantastic session, the children were so occupied the whole time, it was a joy to hear... even the neighbours loved it!”
“We were extremely impressed with how people participated, even teaching to our local elderly people who were amazing”
“They all learned so much about Brazil and Brazilian drumming”
”We cannot wait for the next session”
Future Development
In the medium term, our objective is to build links with schools and community centres and develop consistent, regular engagement with different communities across London. In the long term we would like to build upon our connections in London and Brazil to further develop this dialogue between communities and cultures.
In these challenging time we believe music is more important than ever. If there is an educational outreach project you would like to talk to us about please get in touch.
Community Outreach
We participate in many community outreach projects across London, and have an ongoing collaboration with SeeThrough Theatre, a non-profit group working with older and vulnerable people.
With SeeThrough Theatre we have run drumming sessions in sheltered housing, helping bring joy and connection to older and vulnerable people. This year we also participated in ‘CarnivALL’ an ‘intergenerational carnival parade’ that saw older people show off lockdown-honed skills, colourful costumes, and performances created by residents at sheltered accommodation facilities around Camden.
“It was an amazing day, and a really wonderful and diverse performance. It has been a life-saver for many of the people involved.” “Once more, the democratic and inclusive traits of carnival served not only to make older people visible but also to portray them in positive ways, as producers of quality art able to contribute in society.” Julia Evangelista
In these challenging time we believe music is more important than ever. If there is a community outreach project you would like to talk to us about please get in touch.
Brazilian Outreach
Baque de Axé is affiliated to Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico, a traditional Maracatu group founded in 1916 in Palmares, Pernambuco, Brazil, by descendants of Quilombo de Palmares, a figurehead of freedom in Afro-Brazilian history. Their base is a favela community in Recife, North West Brazil.
During an extended trip to Brazil in 2017 our founder and band leader stayed with Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico in the community of Bode in Recife, spending 6 months immersed in their music and culture. Baque de Axé are born of Porto Rico. We make our own drums in the traditional way, and we take our studies and our relationships with our teachers, friends and family in the favela of Pina very seriously. Maestre Jailson Chacon Viana visited Europe in 2019, and two of the Nação’s percussionists and teachers – Bigato Pereira and Thalita de Faria Domingues – spent an extended time in London during the summer of 2019 working with Baque de Axé, and parading with us at Notting Hill Carnival. In February 2020 Porto Rico were crowned champions of Recife Carnival again, helped by visiting members of Baque de Axé from the UK.
Since the outbreak of COVID in early 2020 we have strengthened our connection with Porto Rico and the community of Pina. We have set up an online school with their teachers, carried out several fundraisers to send basic supplies, medical equipment, and money to support their work in their community.