On class, 21st of November 2018, Mestre Poncianinho spoke about different types of ladainhas: geographical, historical… And our homework was to write a geographical ladainha. Most of it just came out while still in class and then Mestre Poncianinho helped polish it, how to best sing it and also the final verse which wasn’t quite working the way I first wrote it.
Here it is!
No meio do Planalto
no cerrado central
ali nasceu a capital
da nossa nação federalTerra vermelha como Marte
construída com muita arte
com suor dum povo forte
que veio de outra parteBrasília oh Brasília
Foi lá onde nasci
Lá a Capoeira eu conheci, sou Candanguinha dali
Camaradinha…
Candango/Candanga – first people who lived/were born in Brasilia. My parents were one of the first Architecture students at UNB, in fact that’s where they met, which led to them getting married, having me and divorcing after five years of marriage when I was 6 months old.
I’ll always think of Brasilia as my home, even though I only spent 6 out of my first 18 years of life in there (I moved to the UK when I was 18). I also lived in Goiânia for 6 years, but don’t remember as much because I was younger. Oh, apparently I lived in Anápolis too, but of that I have no memory as I was a baby. Then in Mexico city (ages 7-9), and Rio (ages 16-18). It explains why once I moved here and had a say on where I lived I STAYED HERE! I was done with moving by the time I was 18.
A recording of it, my voice isn’t great, but the feeling is true! 😉