School is back in session!

The 2017-2018 school year has started! this means that we will be resuming our regular classes at WWU, on Mondays starting at 6pm in VU room 464, and on Thursdays at 6pm on the ground floor of Bond Hall (focusing on music first).

Here are a couple of pictures from last year - hoping for another good year!

We are already happy to announce that Mestre Silvinho will be up in Bellingham on Sunday November 5th for a workshop and roda that will be open to the public, sponsored by the WWU Music Department. Workshop at 2pm, roda at 4pm, location TBD!

Mestre Silvinho playing with Ryan at the 2017 Afro-Brasilian Festival

Our roda at the Latinx Student Union's Mezclada

Our roda at the African Caribbean Club's heritage dinner.

We also want to take a minute to celebrate the life of Sylvia Robinson, who was instrumental in helping the International Capoeira Angola Foundation put down roots in the United States.
In the picture below, Sylvia is on the left on a panel discussion that also includes (from the left) Sheryll, also an influential woman at the beginning of FICA - DC, Mestra Janja, Contra-Mestra Cristina, Mestra Gege and Mestra Paulinha.

We have been practicing the corrido:

Bahia de todos os santos,
Bahia dos Orixas,
Bahia de Mae Menininha
Meniniha do Gantois

Here is some information about her, linking back to the FICA DC archives website:

http://ficadc.blogspot.com.br/2008/05/me-menininha-do-gantois.html

an excerpt:

[...]
Admired for her wisdom, grace, knowledge, humility, and firm hand, for 64 years, the incomparable Mãe Menininha held the highest rank in the Candomblé hierarchy, that ofIalorixá, or Mãe de Santo, a position that combines religious guidance, political leadership and therapeutic power at the Terreiro do Gantois… with great spiritual powers and rare personal charisma, Mãe Menininha was largely responsible for the diffusion and popularization of Candomblé in Bahia.
[...]