Every summer the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation hosts a series of free World on Stage concerts at the Centennial Peace Plaza on MLK Blvd. in Cleveland. The first concert of Summer 2024 was on June 29, 2024 and the focus was Percussion of the World. 4 diverse drum acts performed and the first performance was by Samba da Cidade (SDC), or "Samba of the City" in Portuguese.
Samba da Cidade at World on Stage
Samba da Cidade is a Cleveland-based samba school that brings together percussionists and dancers of all levels and ages to learn, play, dance, and perform samba and other rhythms inspired by the African Diaspora in Brazil, Cuba and elsewhere. Created and directed by Cleveland drummer and percussionist Dylan Moffitt (B. Mus., M. Mus., Cleveland Institute of Music), SDC is modeled after Rio de Janeiro's escolas de samba, the grass-roots organizations that prepare communities for the Carnaval parade.
SDC emerged in the summer of 2021, during the pandemic-induced isolation, when a handful of drummers began attending classes in Cleveland's Wade Oval park on Sunday evenings. What began as an effort to alleviate seclusion transformed into a thriving ensemble.
The Cleveland Brazilian community demonstrated their proud heritage at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. Over 50,000 people visited the gardens on One World Day 2023.
The Brazilian community participated in the Parade of Flags which had 1500 people from over 53 countries.
The Cleveland Brazilian community demonstrated their heritage at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. Over 40,000 people visited the gardens on One World Day 2022.
The Brazilian community participated in the Parade of Flags
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2021
Brazilian community in the Parade of Flags at One World Day 2021
Members of the Brazilian community participated in the Parade of Flags at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens on August 29, 2021. Hopefully we will see a Brazilian Cultural Garden in the near future. (Let us know if we can help).
Brazilian group in the Parade of Flags at One World Day 2021
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation hosted the 74th annual One World Day on August 25, 2019. Police estimates say that over 30,000 people visited the Gardens and attended One World Day. Though the Brazilian community does not yet have a Cultural Garden, the culture was well represented.
A highlight of One World Day is the Parade of Flags where people in costumes of their heritage carry the flags. This year was undoubtedly the largest and most colorful in memory.
Brazilian community represented in the Parade of Flags
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation (CCGF) hosted the 73rd annual One World Day on September 16, 2018. A highlight is the Parade of Flags where people in costumes of their heritage carry the flags. The Brazillian community was well-represented in the Parade.
Young Athletes from Brazil at Continental Cup in Cleveland
The Continental Cup, put on by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, is now in its 10th year and the 2015 event had 3300 athletes from 11 countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Mongolia, China, Bermuda, China, Colombia, Canada, Brazil, Nepal and Greece.
Young Athletes from Brazil at Continental Cup in Cleveland
Brazilian Samba Dance and Fashion at Cleveland Multicultural Event
Katrina Dubovikova and Damon Cody performed 2 styles of Brazilian Samba at the International Community Council - Worldwide Intercultural Network's (ICC-WIN) 5th annual multicultural holiday celebration at the Global Center for Health Innovation in the Cleveland Convention Center in Cleveland Ohio.
Brazilian drummers and dancers samba into festival
Brazilian drummers and dancers kept a samba beat as they marched and danced to the stage at the 2013 International Folk Festival at Wade Oval in University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio.
2010
Young Athletes from Brazil at the Continental Cup Opening Ceremony at John Carroll University
Organizations and Resources for Brazilians in Cleveland
Following more than three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the subsequent proclamation of a republic by the military in 1889.
Brazilian coffee exporters politically dominated the country until populist leader Getulio Vargas rose to power in 1930. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil underwent more than a half century of populist and military government until 1985, when the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers.
Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader, one of the first in the area to begin an economic recovery.
High income inequality and crime remain pressing problems, as well as recent years' slow down in economic growth.
