This Saturday, 13 April, sees the second anniversary celebration of Amigos do Pagode 90, a Brno-based samba-pagoda band composed of seven Brazilian and Czech musicians, who play monthly dates in Brno and beyond. Their goal is to convey Brazilian musical culture, particularly the “roda de samba” vibes, where musicians form a circle (the “roda”) or sit around a table.
Their events have become a popular meeting point for Brno’s Portuguese and Spanish speakers, but also Czechs and other expats attracted by Brazilian culture and interested in learning how to dance samba and other Brazilian styles.
On Saturday, the group will celebrate their second anniversary with guests from across the Czech Republic at Kaznice, the former prison built in the 18th century, now one of Zábrdovice’s cultural centres.
The programme will start at 6pm with forró dancing by Campolina, from Ostrava, and continue with ChoroMoro at 8pm, a Moravian-Czech group that will perform the traditional choro instrumental music, from which Brazilian music developed in the late 19th century.
Finally, at 9pm, Amigos do Pagode 90 will take to the stage, performing the roda de samba with guests. The roda de samba will continue at 11pm with the BRCZ group from Prague, and for the last part of the show, every group will join on the stage at midnight.
Guests will also have the chance to taste Brazilian food and drinks during the evening, such as feijoada and caipirinha.
The entry fee is 100 CZK.
The Brazilian community will also have another big event in August, when the city hosts the annual Brasil Fest Brno.
