Art and Culture

"The real duty of an artist is to save the dream" Mondigliane


In order to show and strengthen ourselves, we need to discover our identity and with our increasing self-consciousness we become stronger. We are our culture, our people, our traditions, our art. The culture which we created symbolically is what leads us in our lives. Understanding and renewing our rituals and traditions means to keep them alive, inside and outside of ourselves.
In the Terra Mirim Foundation we try to appreciate the popular culture of the region by means of living, researching, spreading and opening spaces for traditional popular manifestations and emerging new cultural movements. By carrying out projects and with a strong will of growing our dream is coming true.

Culture Point Terra Mirim Foundation
Culture - Everyone's Right!

We contribute to this official program of the government by realizing artistic activities and citizens' formation with 52 youngsters in the age of 13 to 23. In Terra Mirim they practice African dances, capoeira, dances of peace and in the band „Meninos do Vale“ they learn how to play percussion. Respecting and amplifying the cultural roots as well as the influences of the local popular culture, the "Ponto de Cultura" pursues to form multiplicators, increasing the formation by arts, in outlook of self-sustain. The youngsters start their process of self-sustain by becoming monitors of new groups, as in the case of the "Meninos do Vale"-band. The aim of those activities is that the youngsters recover their self-esteem, work on their group abilities, create links with their origins and, mainly, find solutions of sustainability by discovering and expressing their talents.

Percussion lessons
The purpose is to form young musicians with citizens' consciousness and knowledge of their local culture. There are meetings to train and rehearse twice a week. The recent formation, existing since two years, includes 13 youngsters from the Itamboata Valley, Simões Filho and the communities of Palmares, Dandá;, Pitanga de Palmares, (recently recognized as quilombolas) and Santa Rosa. The band, now lead by a former participant, already performed, apart from frequent shows in Terra Mirim, in Salvador, Camaçari, and in several communities of the Valley. The broad repertoire of the band is played with a triple bass drum, single bass drums, congas and toms. It is important to remember, that the band already existed before the Ponto de Cultura Project started to support it. That shows the strong will of the participants and its importance for this work.

Lessons of African dances and Dances of the Universal Peace
The aim is to form young leaders and educators by weekly meetings and trainings. The 19 participants are from the communities of the Itamboata Valley, called Palmares, Dandá, Pitanga de Palmares, Santa Rosa, Convel, Coroa de Lagoa and Mapele. The group "Terra Dança" already performed in Salvador, Camaçari, Simões Filho and different events in the Terra Mirim Foundation. From time to time the lessons are accompanied and enriched by the mentors and peace dancers Anahata Iradah (England) and Prema Dasara (USA), apart from local and national dancers, who make themselves available and participate in this movement for the freedom of every being. The lessons are also supported by Oneness, an American organization that enhances the expansion of the Dances of the Universal Peace in the whole world.

Capoeira Lessons
The aim is to form new capoeira monitors with citizens' consciousness and knowledge of the local culture. 20 youngsters in the age of 13 and 23 years meet every Saturday for the training. Fortnightly there are meetings with other capoeira groups and public trainings.

Griô-Project, Queimada da Palhinha
The griôs are ancient leaders of groups and local associations, which work with the oral tradition and popular manifestations of the popular culture. These people, known as conga masters, capoeiristas, mothers and fathers of saints (candomble tradition), folia de reis e bois, jongueiros (afro-brazilian tradition), singers of quadrilhas and others, are respected and important in their communities of origin. The Griô-Project appreciates the knowledge of the ancient people and the oral culture of Brazil. 509 points of culture were chosen for this project. With the help of the Cultural Research of Simões Filho, Terra Mirim already supported the rescue of the Queimada da Palhinha in the Palmares community. From now on this mission is helped by the Ministry of Culture, which provides a disbursement for every griô master and every griô pupil.

So if you are an artist, art teacher or just like arts, why don't you work with us?
Let's save our dreams!
Contact the TMF's art & culture team:
Maria Izabel
Rhavina Schertenleib