Ten years ago, the Moça Prosa samba circle was born in Pedra do Sal, here in the port region of Rio de Janeiro, entirely made up of women. Established in the streets surrounding the historical and religious monument, encompassed by Pequena África, Moça Prosa continues to be produced, idealized, designed, built and run by female hands. And to celebrate, on May 7th, from 1pm, the public will be able to enjoy a whole day of music and celebration for free.
The event features a multicultural fair with fashion, crafts, gastronomy and literature exhibitors. The program begins with the conversation “Women’s space in culture and its representations”. Afterwards, cultural interventions take place with the participation of Slam das Minas and Baque Mulher. On top of that, the launch of the book “A Luz de Aisha”, by authors Luana Rodrigues and Aza Njeri. At 6:30 pm, the Moça Prosa samba circle begins and the breaks are provided by DJ Nicolle Neuman.
The idea of the show is to tell the group's trajectory talking about faith, struggle, partnership, smiles and love. “The repertoire is a journey of everything we have sung in the last decade, bringing back the composers, composers and performers that we have always revered in our circles and who brought us here. But we also show an original repertoire that we think is very important to always be sung in our circle”, summarizes vocalist Fabíola Machado referring to the group's first EP, “Do como que eu sou”, released in 2021 under the direction of Nilze Carvalho.
Born in 2012 from a meeting of women who participated in a female percussion workshop in Pedra do Sal, the group had 12 women in its first formation, five more than the current seven. “It's not surprising to say that it wasn't easy for these 12 women to perform samba. From the workshop, we got together to learn how to play percussion instruments, but then it became an event for friends and, when we realized, Moça Prosa already existed and wanted to show itself to the world”, recalls Luana Rodrigues, percussionist and composer.
Although it is not the first samba circle made up of women, Moça Prosa was one of the only groups to hold an open event on the street for so long. “We started playing, most of us, when we were older, with other professions. It is very gratifying to see children, especially girls, looking at us in awe and seeing that it is possible for them to one day be occupying this place. We think it is our role as a samba circle to strengthen the image of women in samba, opening doors for ourselves and other groups”, reinforces Dani Andrade, percursionist.
Service:
Moça Prosa – 10 years
Day: May 7th – Saturday
Time: 1pm to 11pm
Local: Rua Sacadura Cabral, 74 – Saúde
Age rating: free
Free entrance
