Culture is Our Weapon: AfroReggae in the Favelas of Rio
Brazil is a conundrum; even as its culture enjoys an ever higher profile in the West, an undeclared, vicious and often ignored drug war is being fought on the streets of its cities' favelas (shantytowns).
by Patrick Neate and Damian Platt
Video Interview with Grace Livingstone
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View more video's with Patrick Neate
Culture is Our Weapon: AfroReggae in the Favelas of Rio is a unique and remarkable book that tells the story of a war through the eyes of both the protagonists and those it affects, revealing the terrifying complexities of life on the frontline of one of the most damaging civil conflicts in Latin America.
At centre stage of this ground-breaking book is the extraordinary work of Grupo Cultural AfroReggae, a Rio-based NGO which seeks to divert favela residents from the path of poverty and violence, through music and an appreciation of black culture.
AfroReggae are a force for real social change in the Rio favelas; they are also a role model for what is possible when an oppressed community decides to resist the twin onslaught of violence and poverty. with international tours, record deals and now a feature film, "Favela Rising", AfroReggae are taking favela culture to the world.
Culture is Our Weapon: AfroReggae in the Favelas of Rio is an accessible, fast-paced, committed and compelling portrait of Brazil today. It is about resistance, politics, ethnicity, social inequality, and the potential of those who know their worth.
About the Authors
Patrick Neate is the author of four novels. His book Where You're At: Notes from the Frontline of a Hip Hop Planet won the prestigious National Book Critics Circle prize for criticism in the US in 2005.
Damian Platt is campaigner on Brazil at Amnesty International in London.
ISBN-10: 1 899365 69 9
Paperback 24th February 2006
BUY ONLINE @ Central Books
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