FUNK, YOUTH, AND QUILOMBOLA CULTURE IN HELVÉCIA: BETWEEN TRADITION AND NEW FORMS OF BELONGING

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationships between youth, funk music, and quilombola culture in the community of Helvécia, in the far south of Bahia, based on the experience of the group Os Brutos. It is grounded in the understanding that traditional cultures are dynamic, shaped by elements of continuity, transformation, and re-signification enacted by the individuals themselves. The research employed ethnographic and bibliographic methods, integrated with the production of a documentary as an educational output. The ethnography involved attending events, interviewing young people and older residents, capturing photographic and audiovisual records, and observing the virtual space used by the group. The results reveal a process of both continuity and transformation within quilombola culture. Although some young people do not directly participate in traditional practices—such as the preparation of the Vô Véi figure and the Mouros e Cristãos (Moors and Christians) performance—they maintain ties to the community and take part in the Puxada do Mastro (mast-hauling procession) for Saint Sebastian, recognizing it as an act of faith, belonging, and protection. In this context, funk serves as a form of sociability, expression, and youth belonging, without necessarily representing a break with quilombola identity. The study concludes that the experience of Os Brutos helps move beyond folklorized views of tradition and fosters an understanding of quilombola culture as dynamic, hybrid, and continuously reconstructed.