Samba
Samba is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
It is a name or prefix used for several rhythmic variants, such as samba urbano carioca, samba de roda, among many other forms of samba, mostly originated in the Rio de Janeiro and Bahia states. Having its roots in West African musical traditions, especially those linked to the primitive rural samba of the colonial and imperial periods, it is considered one of the most important cultural phenomena in Brazil and one of the country symbols. Present in the Portuguese language at least since the 19th century, the word "samba" was originally used to designate a "popular dance". Over time, its meaning has been extended to a "batuque-like circle dance", a dance style, and also to a "music genre". This process of establishing itself as a musical genre began in the 1910s and it had its inaugural landmark in the song "Pelo Telefone", launched in 1917. Despite being identified by its creators, the public, and the Brazilian music industry as "samba", this pioneering style was much more connected from the rhythmic and instrumental point of view to maxixe than to samba itself.
Getting around Samba the local way
- Get inIn 2018 a new ferry started on the Luanda to Cabinda, which is useful to avoid a transit through the DR Congo.
- Get aroundEco Tur also do 4x4 and minibus hire and airport transfers with bilingual drivers (paul@eco-tur.com) +244 912 501 387 B Home will provide airport pick ups and are available for hire (drivers) +244 222 264 423 B Home has offices in Luanda, and in the US.
- Get aroundCongestion is a major problem with lack of public transport and the plethora of minibus taxis.
From Wikivoyage: Luanda, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.