Batala Washington Dc Inc

Batala Washington was founded in 2007 as a part of larger Mundo Batala family of bands around the world, and the first band to bring Batala’s signature Afro-Brazilian samba-reggae beats to the U.S.

Unique to the Washington band, all of the members as well as the leadership are women. Female drummers, in any culture, tend to be the exception to the norm of traditionally male percussionists. But Batala Washington’s 80 members are indeed exceptional, coming from all around the world, all ages, backgrounds, beliefs, cultures, professions. The love of captivating samba-reggae rhythms and dance, and the bond of empowerment among women, are the common denominator.

Always endeavoring to reach out with the message of empowerment locally, Batala Washington plays a number of charity performances in addition to its paid performances. Also, Batala produces workshops for at-risk youth in the DC metro area, building DIY drums and teaching rhythms that, many participants found, they had no idea they could create.

With $500, Batala can create another similar workshop, reaching more local youth with the power of rhythm, the joy of drumming and self-expression, and an appreciation for Afro-Brazilian culture in Brazil’s northeast. In the future, we hope to expand our outreach program to partner with schools and local organizations to have a wider and lasting impact on the region’s youth.

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Batala in Washington, D.C. is part of a larger Batala family created in 1997 by Giba Gonçalves. Born and raised in Salvador, Bahia in Brazil's northeast, Giba was living in Paris when he first had the idea for the band. Open to anyone with an interest in learning the samba-reggae beat, the Paris band started off with 60 people, and has since grown exponentially. Over the years bands formed in other European cities, Brazil, and the U.S.

Composer and musical director Giba enlisted the help of friends from the Batala bands and from Salvador in order to create the visual identity of the band. The instruments and costumes are all hand-made in traditional style in Salvador, a region that struggles economically, allowing many to earn a living year-round through producing Batala-related items. From Brazil the band supplies are shipped to the bands around the world.

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