A Batalha de Tabatô

The first time I heard of this phenomenon was in Germany. A young, classically trained violinist confessed to me that he dreamed of going to a mythical village among German youth, located in central Africa, which consisted of musicians and where djambé could be learned. Suddenly it seemed so close to me that it made a click. When I was little, in Africa, parents sent children to Germany to learn music. Now it was all upside down. And thankfully. Because things really are upside down. We Europeans don’t see them clearly. The world really has changed. And this is not new. Africa is not like we painted it. And the ones to blame are the Portuguese from the fifteenth century, who destroyed Africans documents to prove that our culture was superior to theirs. (João Viana)