Find out what happened at the 5th edition of São Paulo's Reggae Carnival, promoted by the Reggae Cultural Association!

The 5th Grito de Carnaval Reggae, promoted by the Reggae Cultural Association in São Miguel Paulista, in the east zone, was a great success. Some say this was one of the best and biggest reggae events of recent times here in São Paulo. Without a doubt, this event demonstrated the true strength of reggae. Everything that is sung in the Jamaican rhythm was explicitly seen at this event: strength, harmony, unity, and peace. In short, the purest and truest Reggae Roots.

The show started at 4:00 p.m. with a still modest audience, but with each passing hour the number of people seemed to double, triple, quadruple, until by 9:00 p.m. this count became impossible to calculate. But the competent authorities estimated that around 17,000 people took part in the 5th Grito de Carnaval Reggae. The reggae crowd gave a show of attitude; there were no incidents of any nature (for those who thought free reggae in the outskirts would end in disorder). There were only many hours of music and positive vibrations to try to compensate for the constant lack of leisure.

The event featured ten bands from some regions of Brazil, among them Planta e Raiz (SP), Ponto de Equilíbrio (RJ), and Mystical Roots (MA). Each of them showed how reggae is seen, felt, and interpreted in some corners of the country. The performances were exceptional, with incredible and delirious acts, as in the case of the band Leões de Israel.

But the great surprise of the night came from Congo Nya. The band's performance, if that is what we can call them, was a lesson in Rastafari teachings and in reclaiming African culture to the sound of drums and nyambingui.
For those who do not know, Congo Nya is a group formed by seven members of a Non-Governmental Organization from British Guiana responsible for spreading Rastafari philosophy, its music, food, handicrafts, and dance to the four corners of the planet. They are like nomads teaching and believing that in this way they can contribute to a better world.

Following Congo Nya's example, we can say that the Reggae Cultural Association is also helping build a more humane society. After all, the Grito de Grito de Carnaval Reggae is much more than a party; it is an event that brings culture, leisure, and entertainment where none exists. It was already almost two in the morning when the 5th Grito de Carnaval Reggae came to an end. Whoever went was able to witness yet another spectacle of Brazilian reggae; for those who were left wanting, all that remains is to wait for next year, because this event is already part of the reggae calendar of Brazilian carnival festivities.