There are children in samba: the power of black samba childhoods and the learning of ancestral samba knowledge

Abstract

Considering the non-school educational context of the Samba School and the diversity of spaces and experiences occupied by children in contemporary society, this study aims to foster an interdisciplinary reflection on childhood and the learning processes involved in the formation of the samba dancer. Grounded in anthropology, education, and samba culture, this research focuses on analyzing the learning processes that emerge from peer relationships and the intergenerational dynamics imposed within the Junior Samba Schools. The research reveals the importance of understanding children from their cultures and social practices, highlighting the development of a native pedagogy—a set of knowledge and methodologies unique to the Samba School. It is a dynamic and constantly changing educational process, driven by interactions between children and adults in the transmission and reworking of traditional samba knowledge. Furthermore, the study engages with the reflections of Nêgo Bispo, proposing a counter-colonization of the teaching-learning relationship based on the territory. From this perspective, the Samba School emerges as a powerful space for the construction of educational alternatives that redefine ways of life and spatial occupation, shifting away from hegemonic paradigms.