Ilê Aiyê

The Brazilian music and culture group Ilê Aiyê (Yoruba for "the world ", the complete name is Associação Cultural Bloco Carnavalesco Ilê Aiyê ) is the oldest African- block in Salvador da Bahia. At the carnival, he plays with about three thousand members and guests its own blend of samba reggae and Afoxé. In addition, a smaller formation occurs, the Band'Aiyê, year round for stage appearances also abroad.

History

Ilê Aiyê in 1974 by the two musicians Antônio Carlos dos Santos, called Vovô, and founded Apolonia in the districts Curuzu and Liberdade, which are considered the largest contiguous, inhabited exclusively by people of African descent settlement area in America, and took expressly to the African heritage reference. The bloco (block ) combined this with political demands for equal rights for black people. With the decision not to include any white members, Ilê Aiyê dissolved in Brazil a discussion about " black racism " and met with the white population to violent rejection. In addition, the association of the conservative press as " Bloco racista " or " Bloco do racismo " was called. At this time the Afoxé group filhos de Gandhy was the only music group that played Afro-Brazilian music.

The influence Ilê Aiyê had on the musical life of Bahia, but was very large after a few years of existence: the first part in the carnival in 1975 set off a wave of start-ups afrobrazilian Blocos from. Around 1980 was the Carnival of Salvador as a completely " Africanized ".

As a cultural association Ilê Aiyê is also active beyond the music. So he offers a Escola de Música e Percussão own Banda Eré for teaching choral singing and drums for children and adolescents also Schneider and drum making workshops and vocational training courses, such as an electrician or in the operation of PC. Earlier, the Bloco was supported by Gilberto Gil, who composed a song Ilê Aiyê. The story of Ilê Aiyê was described by the writer Antônio Risério in the book Carnaval Ijexá, many other artists of Brazilian music such as Margareth Menezes and Daniela Mercury devoted to them songs.

Discography

• Ilê Aiyê, LP and CD, Polygram 1984 ( even in Brazil long out of print )
• Ilê Aiyê, LP and CD, Sony 1989 ( Caetano Veloso with and Martinho da Vila as guests)
• Canto Negro, CD, Braziloid 1992 Velas 1996
• 25 Anos, CD, Natasha Records / Sony in 1999, produced by Arto Lindsay ( with Milton Nascimento and dAude as guests)