Grupo Bongar: Ancestral Sounds from Pernambuco, Brazil

Bongar is composed of members of the Xambá terreiro in Quilombo do Portão do Gelo, in Olinda. The group was founded in 2001, with the purpose of bringing to the stage the traditional Coco da Xambá party, which has been held in the community for over 40 years, on June 29. The Bongar group works to preserve and disseminate Pernambuco culture. The members' musical training comes from the popular universe, specifically from the Xambá religious community.

Bongar shows in its presentations all the musicality of Coco da Xambá, a strand of this rhythm so present in the Northeast of Brazil, in addition to ciranda, maracatu, candomblé, among other rhythms of the root culture. Bongar also conducts percussion and popular dance workshops, making instruments, show-classes and lectures.

Bongar has a very strong musicality of diverse musical influences, experienced in Afro-Brazilian cults, mainly of the Xambá lineage. The members of the group inherited all this musicality since childhood, listening to their elders and learning with them the touches, loas and dances, during the parties at Casa Xambá.