Batalá is an international samba reggae music project based in Salvador de Bahia in northeastern Brazil. The name Batalá is a combination of the phrase “bateu lá”, meaning “hit there” in Portuguese, and Obatalá (Oxalá), the Candomblé deity who is the father of the Orixas and of all humanity.
Batalá was founded in Paris in 1997 by Giba Gonçalves, a Bahian percussionist with links to Ilê Aiyê, Olodum, Muzenza, Male Debale, Jimmy Cliff, Tupi Nago, and Kaoma. Batalá currently has over 45 groups in 19 countries, and a worldwide membership of over 1,000 percussionists.
Batalá Durham is one of the newer branches of the Batalá family in North America, established in 2015. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on exposing people to and educating them about Afro-Brazilian culture by performing traditional samba reggae music.
Batalá Durham is a community group, open to anyone 18 years or older. We’re based in and rehearse in Durham but have members from all parts of the Research Triangle area.
To learn more about our parent group, Batalá Mundo, visit here.
A Map of the Bands of Batalá Mundo
North America
Boulder/Denver, Colorado
Durham, North Carolina
Houston, Texas
Los Angeles, California
New York City, New York
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
San Francisco, California
Washington DC
Central + South America
Aracaju, Brazil (Batalá Sergipe)
Brasilia, Brazil
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Gwada, Guadeloupe
Madinina, Martinique
Mendoza, Argentina
Mexico City, Mexico
Tepoztlan, Mexico
Europe
Athens, Greece
Badajoz, Spain
Bangor, Wales, UK
Barcelona, Spain
Barmouth (Bermo), Wales, UK
Bristol, UK
Brussels, Belgium
Crete, Greece
Geneva, Switzerland
La Rochelle, France
Lancaster, UK
Liverpool, UK
London, UK
Massif, France
Nantes, France
Paris, France
Portsmouth, UK
Salonica, Greece
Tilburg, Netherlands
Vienna, Austria
Vienna, Austria (Batalá Boom)