About Our Samba Band Based In Preston Lancashire

Worldwise Samba Drummers are a community band based at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and supported by the university’s School of Arts and Media and the Worldwise Learning Centre.

 

The Worldwise Centre promotes interest in learning world languages, cultures and cross-cultural understanding. At the Centre’s launch party in 2009, guests were entertained by a group of samba enthusiasts to demonstrate that style of world music. It was decided that Preston needed its very own group and the Worldwise Samba Drummers were born soon after.

 

The band meets every Wednesday in the Media Factory at UCLan to learn and play Afro-Brazilian percussion music. This style of music has its origins in the times when people were transported to Brazil from West Africa to work as slaves. Drums and percussion instruments were extremely important in many West African cultures, so this was one of the most influential elements in the new music that African slaves created in this new land. Music and dancing became extremely important parts of Afro-Brazilian identity on the plantations, and it’s believed that this is where the word ‘samba’ actually comes from.

 

Worldwise Samba Drummers perform in carnival processions, at charity events and various fetes and fairs. Usually we have 15-20 public performances in a year. We have contributed to many local and regional music and cultural events and projects including Making a Mark, Preston Mela, Parbold Street Festival, Preston Jazz and Improvisation Festival, Feast for Peace, Liverpool Brazilica, Preston Pulse, UCLan Welcome Sunday, Preston Caribbean Carnival, Community Connectors, Global Grooves events and others.

 

To join or for further details send an email to worldwisesambadrummers@gmail.com or use the Join Us or Contact Us links on this website.

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