Love for Garantido’s ‘Batucada’ is passed from father to children

Manaus (AM) – Declared as Cultural and Intangible Heritage of the State of Amazonas, the Parintins Festival is one of the main artistic manifestations in Brazil. During the three days of celebration, the Bumbódromo de Parintins, in the interior of the State, receives fans of Garantido and Caprichoso, coming from all four corners of the country; in 2023, the event generated around R$146.6 million in the municipality’s economy, according to the Government of Amazonas. However, the importance of the cultural movement goes beyond financial symbolism, as the “bull game” creates bonds and becomes a family passion in the lives of Amazonians.

An example of this case is João Paulo Reis da Silva from Parintin. Current coordinator of the ‘deaf’ section of the Manaus nucleus of Batucada do Boi Garantido. The retiree started playing with oxen when he still lived in the city of Parintins, encouraged by his father.

“I started participating in Garantido because my father was already playing when I was 10 or 11 years old. All through my father, he started taking me to play batucada, between 1965 and 1970. That’s when I started interacting with the batucada people. In 1970, I moved to Manaus, but I continued participating in the cattle, but at that time we didn’t have the commitment we have today”,

said.

Taking his first steps into the game, the first instrument that João Paulo learned to play was the “caixinha”, but after a conversation with one of his main family supporters, João discovered the section he currently coordinates, the famous “surdão”.

“The one who taught me how to play the ‘surdo’ on the batucada was my cousin Ray. As for the ‘caixinha’, I learned didactically how to play the musical instrument. One time I was getting ready to play at the party and my cousin called me and asked if I would play the snare drum, and when I said yes, he told me that, in fact, I would play the floor tom. He taught me to play like that, from then on, I went to the arena playing the new instrument, which became my passion”,

recalled João Paulo.

In Manaus, the boi bumbá movement went through some difficulties before finding a fixed place for rehearsals to take place. It was only in 1995 that the Boi Garantido trials gained a loyal audience when it was established at the Olímpico Clube, located in the São Geraldo neighborhood, in the Center-South Zone of the capital. This “acceptance” of the people in the capital helped pay for the presentations that took place in the municipality of Parintins, according to sociologist Wilson Nogueira.

“The rehearsal season in Manaus, at first, was aimed at raising funds to help present the cattle in Parintins, which did not have major sponsors. This movement grew and began to publicize the Parintins Festival in the capital of Amazonas. I believe that all of this was facilitated by the identification of Amazonians with a musical movement that proposed to represent Amazonian cultural identity”,

highlighted the professional.

With all the development that came to cattle events, the batucada nucleus in Manaus gained a new structure in 1995, which began to be restructured in the following years.

“In 1995, when we stopped looking for a place to rehearse, we found the Olímpico Clube. There, we started a team to organize the batucada. In 1997, with the arrival of Peara Clemilton Pinto, he brought another team and that was when coordination began. As there were already people, we gathered the guys together. Since then, I have participated in this part of the coordination”,

said the “batuqueiro”.

From father to children

Always present at Boi Garantido events, João Paulo started taking his three children to batucada rehearsals, thus, the game of boi became part of the daily life of the Reis da Silva family and since then, Paulo Anderson, André Ricardo and Adriano Lucas began to participate in the red and white bumbá drumming.

“I took the boys with me to watch, but they started playing batucada here in Manaus, I started taking them to rehearsals, including me buying the material. I didn’t even need to encourage much, they already liked it, they said they wanted to participate and I bought the box for the three of them. I didn’t even need to teach, they learned right there with the boys, it was an easy thing that they quickly assimilated. It’s been a while since they left, but André is still in the band that always plays in the corral”,

said João Paulo proudly.

At first, the three children played the box, repeating their father’s story. Over the years, the eldest son, Paulo Anderson, started to play deaf. Remembering the 90s, João Paulo highlighted, with enthusiasm, the joy it was to have his family involved 100% in the Batucada do Boi Garantido events.

“It was very good, because everyone was together there, the union was total, they supported each other, there was no intrigue, the other participants liked them a lot, we never had friction within the batucada. It’s a very beautiful movement that brings people together. The ox is a happy game, it is distracting, it is healthy for everyone”,

he stated.

The middle son, André Ricardo, told Em Tempo details of what it was like to become a drummer in Manaus during his childhood, influenced by his experience with his father.

“I started playing in 1993, at the time the corral was at the Kartódromo, influenced by my father, but we had been playing on cattle since we were children. I participated for about six or seven years, until the beginning of the 2000s, but I always went with my parents, my brothers, uncles and aunts, it was really good, it was really cool to have everyone on my side, because, in a way, it was a family reunion, it was fun. We grew up in this environment, every year we traveled to Parintins and played in the streets”,

emphasized the musician.

This love for music even in childhood brings benefits to the child, especially if it is stimulated in the family environment, as clinical psychologist Robson Belo explains.

“The more sensitive the musical experience shared between parents and their children, the greater the emotional connection the child will have with their parents and with music, generating positive feedback, which will generalize in the social environment, in the sharing and transmission of this same culture”,

Belo pointed out.

During the time he participated as a drummer, André Ricardo began to realize that he was interested in learning new instruments, discovering that he was self-taught. After his father enrolled him in music classes, the musical universe became an integral part of his routine.

“I left batucada in 2000, because my father took me to music classes and I wanted to play the keyboard, I saw people playing at the time, I developed the desire to play the instruments, I was already self-taught, I learned by watching. My father formed a band with his brothers and we started playing at festive events, and during these comings and goings, the opportunity arose for me to start playing, simply, first the keyboard, then the guitar”,

scored.

After playing through several instruments, André found his work partner after a colleague from the band he was participating in failed to commit. With the opportunity to expand his skills, the musician combined the useful with the pleasant and started playing the double bass, finding his calling.

“There was a day when a colleague who played the double bass was absent, I saw how he played, I picked up the double bass and started playing too, I improved my skills and that’s what won me over. Today I’m part of the Garantido band”,

Manauara is proud.

Today, João Paulo’s son is the father of two children, who are also part of the ox environment, and who consume Parintina culture. As an inheritance from the paternal family, in the Silva household it is mandatory to support the Garantido ox, as André Ricardo says.

“My father’s family is involved with oxen, this passed on to me as a son, and because I am also very involved with oxen, it ends up passing on to my children, they also like Garantido, we don’t take it as often , but when we take it, they like it”,

declared Ricardo.

The strength of Parintina culture remains alive in the hearts of Amazonas families even as the years pass. But what justifies this essence? From the point of view of sociologist Wilson Nogueira, the Parintins Festival manages to bring together and bring together different cultures in the same space.

“It’s a game in which families meet to have fun, to experience moments of joy. In Parintins, there are a series of factors (cultural partnerships, tourism opportunities, media presence, professionalization of the show), which made bumbás great. I also highlight the fact that the people of Parintin raised an ox with the diversification of Amerindian culture and pop culture. The bumbá ox from Parintins has momentum in the market because it brings together cultures”,

concluded the professional.

Start of the beef season in 2024

On the 20th, the Boi Garantido batucada, in Manaus, will hold the first event of the 2024 season. With a new venue, the event will take place at Olímpico Clube, marking the inauguration of the new event venue for batuqueiros in the capital of Amazonas.

Scheduled to start at 6pm, this first rehearsal will pay tribute to public servant Wagner Góes, former director of Boi Garantido under the current administration, who passed away in November 2023.

The Olímpico Clube is a historic place for the red and white nation, as it hosted the first events held by the Movimento Amigos do Garantido (MAG) in the capital of Amazonas.

Currently, the batucada has 120 participants, divided between the surdo, box, clap, repique and rocar suits. The musical direction of the batucada is signed by Francisnaldo Pinheiro.

In 2024, the Parintins Festival will take place on the 28th, 29th and 30th of June. Boi Garantido defends the theme “Secrets of the Heart” and seeks its 33rd title. Boi Caprichoso defends the theme “Culture – The Triumph of the People”, in search of the third championship.

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