Music in the slums

Vozes do morro, released on March 13th on 2008, is a beautiful program from Governo de Minas, through the Secretaria de Estado da Cultura, SERVAS and Sert-MG. It was made to get the slums communities together, no matter their places in the society, their jobs or their religion.

The program encourages the music production of bands and artists, who live in slums and poor neighborhoods of Grande BH. Those communities have a population of over 100 thousands habitants and an IDH of less than 0,65, like Ibirité, Santa Luzia and Ribeirão das Neves. The artists are allowed to participate when they haven’t gotten any benefit from laws that help those kinds of artists. Each participant can present two songs of their repertoire. The theme of the songs and the music style are free, they can choose what they want to play in the show. They record CDs and DVDs, and then the media publicizes that material, through the TV and the radio. The program gives the chance to those artists to have their music recognized.
On May 25th this year, Vozes do Morro was awarded with the second Prêmio Abap de Sustentabilidade in Melhoria Social category. This award is given by the Associação Brasileira das Agências de Publicidade (ABAP) to people and institutions that help solving social and environmental problems in Minas Gerais.
Cris do Morro, the coordinator of the program, says ‘Today, the voice of the slums is another one. It’s not sorrow anymore, now they sing with joy.’.


Sources:Vozes do Morro - website
SERVAS - website