Roots That Beat Strong: An Overview of Maracatu-Nação.
Oct 15, 2026 — 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Walter França Filho is a practitioner of maracatu de baque virado who has been immersed in the tradition since childhood. As president of Maracatu Raízes de África and a historian, his engagement with maracatu extends far beyond his experience as a performer. His work combines lived experience with sustained academic study and research into the history, cultural significance, and contemporary transformations of the tradition.
Contemporary challenges, transformations, and enduring practices of Brazilian Intangible Cultural Heritage
Walter has researched Recife’s cultural landscape during the 1990s—a period marked by the vitality of maracatu-nação groups, the emergence of the Mangue Beat movement, and the growing presence of percussion ensembles. He has also worked as a researcher for the Inventários Sonoros dos Maracatus-Nação (Sound Inventories of Maracatu-Nação) and the Inventário Nacional de Referências Culturais (INRC—National Inventory of Cultural References), the latter contributing to the recognition of maracatu as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Brazil.
Walter is currently an Assistant Professor of History at the Universidade Estadual do Ceará, in the Faculty of Education and Integrated Sciences of the Sertão de Canindé.
In his presentation, Roots That Beat Strong: An Overview of Maracatu-Nação, Walter will offer an up-to-date perspective on the current reality of maracatu-nação groups, examining their contemporary challenges, transformations, and enduring practices. Building on maracatu’s recognition as Brazilian Intangible Cultural Heritage, he will also discuss its growing international visibility and the significance of its potential recognition by UNESCO. Finally, he will reflect on maracatu as a powerful space for the affirmation of identity, belonging, and dignity, particularly for communities and individuals who have historically experienced social invisibility.
Walter França Filho
Practitioner of maracatu de baque virado
Walter is currently an Assistant Professor of History at the Universidade Estadual do Ceará, in the Faculty of Education and Integrated Sciences of the Sertão de Canindé.
Meg Stalcup ([email protected])
Nathan Pécout--Le Bras ([email protected])
Luiza Dutra ([email protected])