The biggest carnival in the world takes place in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. During a massive street party of six days, dozens of bands on big trucks named carnival bloco’s parade through the streets. Every year, more than two million people come to Salvador to be part of Brazil’s biggest festival.

However, forty years ago most Afro-Brazilians living in Pelourinho – the historic city center of Salvador – were not allowed to participate. To guarantee them access to the festival, a group of musicians and artists founded Olodum: a bloco that aimed to highlight African heritage during the massive yearly parades, and uplift the Afro-Brazilian community of Pelourinho through music, art and dance.

In Casa do Olodum, located in one of the small alleys of the city center, we sit down with Lucas di Fiori, one of the four main singers of bloco Olodum. He explains how Olodum transformed from a local carnival’s band into a world-famous Afro-Brazilian music group and became a social movement that, until today, is fighting for the rights of marginalized people in Brazil.[…]

More: How the Brazilian carnival’s band Olodum became a massive social movement — The Urban Detective