ABSTRACT
In Morro Vermelho, Enoque Pereira was known as “the person who knew about the African legacy of the town” and “the person responsible for the bando masquerade in the festival of Our Lady of Nazare”. This chapter presents Morro Vermelho’s Afro-Brazilian legacy and shows the strategies used by the local Afro-Brazilian population to evade civilizing practices since colonial times. Enoque belongs to one of many families locally known as “the Carolas” and “the Calungas.” Enoque Pereira is locally recognized for his drum playing, which he calls “bateria” and not “music,” because “music” for him is “what the band and choir of Morro Vermelho do”. Enoque’s family is responsible for the music and for the organization of the masks and costumes.Festivals of Our Lady of the Rosary, celebrated on the second Sunday of October, are associated with Africanness and slavery in colonial times.
