Have you ever had different kinds of food on your plate, and you started to mix and match the different kinds, finding out which combos were delicious together and which combos were utterly disgusting? It’s fun, isn’t it, having the creative freedom to do so, and find your favorite culinary combos (like mac and cheese and ketchup)? Well, let me tell you the story of 2 Afro-Brazillian musicians who weren’t exactly allowed to “mix and match” musical genres, and they got in big, big trouble.
Gilberto Gil, and Caetono Veloso; 2 separate destinies that just kept on intertwining. They were some of the big names when it comes to Afro-Brazillian music. They were also the biggest supporters of a movement called “Tropicalia”, based on the philosophy of “cultural cannibalism.” Basically, this movement took things from all genres and played a game of “mixing and matching”, combining rock, poetry, using the electric guitar, etc. They eventually got in trouble with the Brazillian government when they hardened their rule because these 2 were known for criticizing and commenting on the Brazillian government. Eventually, the 2 musicians were exiled to London. “I found it dark and distant and isolated from the world the way it felt back then”, reminisces Veloso.
In London, they still continued to check out different cultures in London, like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. It helped lift their spirits in this difficult time.
Gil and Veloso both had wonderful, successful careers. Gil would go from Bob Marley to regional rhythm when performing on stage. Also, in a weird twist of fate, Gil ended up being appointed as Brazil’s Minister of Culture in 2003. During his 5-year service he created the Culture Points program, which allowed underprivileged Brazillian kids to become something in their lives, like a cultural visionary or entrepreneur, by giving them arts education grants. Veloso got together with a young group of musicians in his 70’s, and “reinvented himself.” They still perform every now and then too.
See, this is what you can accomplish when you try new things, new combinations. These guys created something beautiful just by blending different cultures. Even though they went through some hard times, they made it through. Just imagine what you could do.
A Helping Hand 