Project: “Brazildonia”

“Brazildonia” is a bilateral project between Brazil and Macedonia which aims to create a sustainable cultural exchange between the two countries. The project includes the collaboration of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), IBEIDS, Projeto Sarava and other individuals from Brazil, as well as the Youth Cultural Center in Skopje, Abraçaço and Mr. Toni Kitanovski from Macedonia. The project is realized in the following areas:

Cinema: In collaboration with the Youth Cultural Center of Skopje, the festival CineDays and Professor Lidia Melo we organize a curation of Brazilian cult movies at the CineDays Festival in November 2014.

Music:

Theater:

NECUP- Nucleo de Estudos de Cultura Popular

 is a cultural association which organizes activities related to the preservation and the diffusion of the popular Brazilian and Latin American cultures. Located in Belo Horizonte, it is among the most active cultural centers. For more information, please follow the link http://necup.blogspot.com/ .

The Cultural Embassy Presents: Zimun

For Zimun, a band from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, musical diversity is prior, sung over the rich musical harmony. Guitar, bass, drums, didgeridoo, vibes, trumpet, synth and poetry connect to create a style that comes from the group, which reflects it’s members ’experiences, baptized street jazz. But even with a label, It’s impossible to define Zimun’s sound. Rap, rock, jazz, salsa, baião, poetry, electronic experiments, junction of experiments: does it really matter? Tha group’s first EP is called “Alcançando o céu com os pés no chão”, released by Serrasônica label.

Ravel, Bizzotto, Francisco Leon and Castillo had already thought about, discussed and even started some tests with the intention of forming a band, but only in mid-2009, when Ravel (bass), Bizzotto (tromp. and vibes), Henrique (drums), Rafa (percussion), Felipe VillasBoas (guitar), Materia Prima (voice), started rehearsing that’s when Zimun finally got off the ground.

In August 2009, Ravel was invited by Castilho and Coyote to participate in the EP “Alcançando o Céu com os Pés no Chão” and from then on a collaboration between Castilho and Zimun started. Wasn’t long until Zimun and Castilho became one. Now, without Felipe Villas Boas (guitar player), Zimun added Gurila Mangani (MC), Coyote (samples and beats) at the new lineup.

The Cultural Embassy Presents: Thiakov

Musician, composer and musical producer, Thiakov (32 yrs old) released his second solo album, called “Impressões (impressions)” in last April, an electronic-style album that matches with the contemporary influences of now-a-days artists like Radiohead, Bjork and some Brazilians musicians like Amon Toby and others. The album also contains brazilian tradicional rhythmics which recall names like Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, assembling the electronic esthetic with root beats like afoxé and bossa.

Thiakov produced, in these last 10 years, lots of bands and singers albums, beyond his own two albums, created movie and theaters soundtracks, sound design, mixed, mastered some others, and played at the bests concert houses of Brazil.

The show “Impressões” is based on electronic-acoustic blending, putting computers and acoustic guitars and drums side by side. Andre Xina (portuguese) stays on the computer, Thiakov (brazilian) with the guitars and keyboards and Yuri Vellasco (brazilian) with acoustic and electronic drums.

What is The Cultural Embassy?

A group of people, activists and artists dedicated in cultural activism and diplomacy. We believe that cultural interchange and acknowledgment of cultural diversities can lead to greater tolerance, political solutions, more creative artistic results and finally bring humanity under one umbrella. We focus on cultural exchange by promoting and organizing shows for musicians from Brazil, mainly. Moreover, together with our partner organizations we work on projects focused on education, traditional and contemporary culture and arts with the aim to bring people a better understanding of “the other” and of the world, overall.

Contact: theculturalembassy@gmail.com

The Cultural Embassy Presents: Sérgio Pererê

Heir of the African culture and also of Minas Gerais, Pererê represents a link between traditions and contemporaneity. With his expressive singing, the presence of the ancestral force is seen in popular manifestations such as catopes, marujada, moçambique and at the same time, jazz, blues and soul.

For 15 years, he was a member of a group called Tambolelê, with whom he toured in countries such as Mexico, the United States, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and China in addition to developing socio-cultural projects in the poor regions of Belo Horizonte.

He has recorded six albums and has participated in several albums of other artists and stands out as one of the most versatile artists in the contemporary Brazilian music. He has already shared the stage with several artists such as Fabiana Cozza, João Bosco, Nana Vasconcelos, Milton Nascimento and today he is a member of the group Sagrado Coração da Terra, both as a composer and singer, together with the violinist and composer Marcus Viana.

At the stage his partners are the charango (an Andean instrument) and the tama (an African instrument) together with the contrabass, the electric guitar, the acoustic guitar, the percussion, the accordion and the drums. The result is a contagious and frantic sound which leads the audience to a state of euphoria and contemplation.

What is The Cultural Embassy?

A group of people, activists and artists dedicated on cultural activism and diplomacy. We believe that cultural interchange and acknowledgment of cultural diversities can lead to political solutions, more creative and more beautiful artistic results and finally bring humanity under one umbrella.

We promote musicians and artists mainly from Brazil and Europe where we aim to create a network of national or international groups which will cooperate in the long run.