Margareth Menezes & llê Aiyê To Celebrate Afro-Brazilian Culture at London’s Barbican

by Glenn Sargeant | May 30, 2024

Margareth Menezes – one of the most powerful voices in Brazilian music – teams up with Ilê Aiyê for a special night celebrating Afro-Brazilian music and culture at London’s Barbican on Friday 26th July 2024. Her style is axé but her music also steers into samba and MPB (Música popular brasileira) territory, at times drawing on African rhythms and reggae. Menezes is also Brazil’s Minister of Culture, joining Lula’s government on 1st January 2023 and following in the tradition of Brazilian music legend Gilberto Gil, who served as Minister in Lula’s first administration.

llê Aiyê first came to prominence more than 50 years ago, challenging racist culture throughout the city and celebrating their African heritage by becoming the first exclusively black carnival group of Salvador in Brazil. The group bring their powerful drum rhythms to the Hall matched only by the fervour of their dancing, singing and beautiful costumes.

This unique evening at the Barbican celebrates the place of Afro-Brazilian communities in carnival and inviting audiences into its joyous world.

About Margareth Menezes & llê Aiyê:

Margareth Menezes is an artist in constant evolution and movement. Autêntica, her most recent album, was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2020 in the category of Best Portuguese Root Music Album. The album addresses Black women’s strength in songs such as Minha Diva, Minha Mãe and Mãe Preta. Her style is axé but her music also steers into samba and MPB territory, at times drawing on African rhythms and reggae.

Menezes is best known in Brazil for her song Faraó (Divindade do Egito) and Me Abraça e Me Beija, a major hit in 1990. She also scored another hit with Dandalunda, a song which became the unofficial anthem of the 2003 Salvador carnival. She became Brazil’s Minister of Culture, joining Lula’s government, in 2023, following in the tradition of Gilberto Gil who served as Minister in Lula’s first administration.

Ilê Aiyê is the first Afro-Bloco movement in Brazil. Founded in 1974 in Liberdade, the blackest neighbourhood of Salvador, Bahia, Ilê Aiyê began as a carnival group exclusively for Black people, in response to racism and their exclusion from participation in the city’s official carnival circuit. On ‘Noite da Beleza Negra’ (The ‘Black Beauty’ Night), the most important event before the carnival, the ‘Ebony Goddess’ – queen of the bloco – is chosen.