This sign is part of the Rota do Samba de Vila Isabel – Os Três Apitos circuit.
Audio guide. To access the full version, download the Mingoo app here. For more information, visit www.mingoo.com.br
Martinho José Ferreira, better known as Martinho da Vila, was born in 1938 in Duas Barras, a town in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro. The son of farmers, Martinho moved with his family to Rio de Janeiro at the age of four. They settled in the Boca do Mato slum in the Lins de Vasconcelos neighborhood in the northern part of the city. The mountain range is named after its historical occupation by fugitive and freed slaves. This territory was fundamental to the artist's cultural formation. As a teenager, Martinho joined the local samba school, Aprendizes da Boca do Mato. At 15, he paraded singing a samba theme song he had written about Carlos Gomes. Before devoting himself to a professional career in samba, Martinho worked as a military bureaucrat, serving as an accountant and clerk until 1970.
Image description: The image shows a wall featuring a large mural painting. The wall is located at a site known as "Negro Muro Martinho da Vila." In the painting, there is a central figure wearing a white shirt with blue and red details. This figure is holding a musical instrument and smiling broadly. In the background, there is a church with a tower and a clear sky. On the right, there is a sign indicating "Parking" with a drawing of a car.His relationship with Vila Isabel began in 1965, when he was invited to organize the composers' wing of the school and adjust the cadence of the samba songs by shortening and melodizing them. While involved with the association, Martinho joined the school as a composer. In 1967, already established at the samba school, he composed the samba theme song "Carnaval das Ilusões" (Carnival of Illusions), in partnership with Gemeu.
He officially began his career as a singer in 1967 with the song "Menina Moça," followed the next year by "Casa de Bamba," one of his greatest classics. In 1969, he released his first album under the stage name Martinho da Vila. The album featured hits such as "Pra Que Dinheiro," "Quem É do Mar Não Enjoa," "Tom Maior," and "Pequeno Burguês." In the 1970s, he incorporated strong influences from Angolan Bantu culture into his music. This broke with the whitening of samba that began in the 1940s, highlighting the genre's Afro-diasporic roots. Throughout his life, he wrote music in various styles, including ciranda, frevo, samba de roda, capoeira, bossa nova, calango, toada, and African sambas.
Image description: The image shows a photograph of a colorful mural on a white wall. On the left, there is a red car parked. On the wall, there is a large human figure prominently featured, holding a musical instrument. In the background, there is a white church with a gray roof and a green tree. On the right, there is a sign that reads "Estacionamento" with a car symbol and an arrow pointing to the right.In 1988, he conceived the plot "Kizomba, a Festa da Raça" (Kizomba, the Race Party), which earned Unidos de Vila Isabel its first title in the Special Group, featuring an innovative aesthetic and black protagonism. A prolific author of more than 15 books and with over 50 albums released, Martinho has won three Latin Grammy Awards and holds honorary doctorates from universities in Brazil and Angola. He was the subject of Vila Isabel's 2022 theme and is currently the school's Honorary President. Like Noel Rosa, Martinho is a cultural icon of Vila Isabel, representing Brazilian culture, social struggles, and Afro-Brazilian heritage through samba.
Image description: The image shows a set of logos and text related to projects and institutions. On the left side is the Brazil logo in green, yellow, and blue. Next to it is the EmbraturLAB logo, made up of an orange dot pattern. Below are logos for technologies such as Zcept Tech, Mingoo, Bone, and WeSense. In the center are the Diaspora Black and Etnias logos. On the right is the iFriend platform logo. Below these elements are further supporting logos, including those of Rio de Janeiro, the Rio City Hall, Conservação e Serviços Públicos, and the Laboratório de Encantadores.
