Associação Cultural Quabales – Música, Cultura, Arte, Cidadania e Meio Ambiente

Quabales

Music as a tool for social transformation

More than 150,000 people live in the neighborhoods of northeast of Amaralina in the city of Salvador, a community with high crime rates and drug trafficking, which offer very few cultural and educational opportunities for its residents. Quabales was created by Marivaldo dos Santos, a musician born and raised in Amaralina, who now resides in New York City and has been part of the innovative international percussion group “STOMP” for 15 years.

Quabales utilizes a musical style that involves expression through body movements and the use of conventional and unconventional instruments, often made by the students themselves with recyclable material collected from the community.

With support from BrazilFoundation, Quabales will:

• Expand access to cultural activities for 100 children in the region, providing a creative outlet that helps them develop their artistic skills;
• Encourage the community to reflect upon the rights and responsibilities of the family, community and school;
• Hold weekly workshops on percussion and expression, music theory, and constructing musical instruments from recycled materials;
• Help children gain self-respect, discipline, and develop independence, in effect improving their performance at school.

IMPACT

Musical education for 100 children
Civic engagement for 100 families
Training future professional artists

“Efforts taken to improve the life of a young person reverberate positively throughout the community and society.” -Fernanda Mello dos Santos, project coordinator