Batala Mundo: A Global Symphony

Formed in Paris in 1997 by musician Giba Gonçalves, Batala is a non-profit international music project built around samba-reggae percussion and community participation. All income from performances is reinvested into the band to support its activities, instruments and costumes.

 

Drums and costumes are sourced directly from Salvador, Bahia, and Batala groups around the world perform the same music and wear matching costumes as part of a shared global identity.

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The roots of samba-reggae

 

Samba-reggae originated in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, created in the early 1970s by Neguinho do Samba, who fused traditional Brazilian samba with reggae influences that had entered Brazilian popular music at the time.

 

Since then, samba-reggae has developed into a distinctive sound from northeast Brazil, carried internationally by groups such as Ilê Aiyê, Olodum and Timbalada, helping to establish it as one of the most recognisable Afro-Brazilian musical styles worldwide.