Tia Ciata, Who was truly a legend, Never turned down a good pagode Before the break of dawn Excerpt from the samba-enredo "Praça Onze, carioca da Gema" – Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, 1970
Tia Ciata and Tia Carmen do Xibuca (Carmen Teresa da Conceição) are part of the group that, in the early twentieth century, left the port area to live and gather in another residence and meeting place for descendants of Africans: Praça Onze. There, in the square and its surroundings, in the houses of the tias, gatherings of musicians and instrumentalists took place. João da Baiana, Donga, Sinhô and Pixinguinha, along with other pillars of Rio's samba, circulated through this broad region — named by Heitor dos Prazeres a "miniature Africa" in the 1920s — which stretched from the port area to the slopes of Morro do São Carlos.
Tia Ciata used to hold gatherings where these great musicians who gave rise to carioca samba would come together. It was also there that Black people who had recently arrived from other regions of Brazil often found shelter. In Pequena África, the first carnival ranchos emerged in the 19th century, and, in the 20th century, the samba schools. Among the tias, the figure of Perciliana Maria Constança also stands out — mother of the famous João da Baiana, an instrumentalist, dancer, and composer born in Rio de Janeiro. Known as the one who introduced the pandeiro into samba, he circulated through those spaces alongside other popular artists, even recording radio programs in the 1920s.
A place of arrival, shelter, gathering, and creation: the aunties' houses, the terreiros, and the street corners of Pequena África were spaces of resistance and creation for Rio's Black culture. Later, construction and demolition work in the area, aimed at expanding the urban space, forced these people to migrate to other parts of the city, carrying with them the strength of the African-rooted tradition.
Pequena África is also a space of struggle. For this reason, its significance is marked by the statue representing Zumbi dos Palmares — a Black hero in the fight against slavery in Brazil —, an urban monument that stands right next to Praça Onze.
In the photo, Visconde de Itaúna street, one of the addresses where Tia Ciata lived. The street and its row of houses disappeared with the construction of Avenida Presidente Vargas. Today, at Rua Camerino, nº 05, the headquarters of the Organização dos Remanescentes da Tia Ciata (ORTC) operates, along with a cultural space to keep the memory of the Matriarch of samba alive.
Image description: This is a black and white photograph of a street with old buildings. On the left side, there is a building with open arches and large doors. In front of it, there is a sign reading "R. VISC. ITAUNA" and "5511-1928". In the center, there is a building with a tiled roof and decorated windows. On the right, there is another building with balconies and large windows. In the background, there are more buildings and a clear sky.Casa da Tia Ciata.
