This study analyzes the appropriations of the creative economy by the communicators from Núcleo de Comunicação Bombando Cidadania, in Bomba do Hemeterio, Recife, Pernambuco. This research is based on the theoretical and methodological perspective of the communication for development and on the approaches of the latin-american cultural studies about the popular cultures and cultural appropriations. As methodological tool, we use the semistructured interview to comprehend the symbolic aspects of this appropriation. The bibliographic and documentary researches are combined to build up the theoretical scope of creative economy and local development. In this process we can highlight the use of the reports from Unesco, the documents of Creative Economy Secretary of the Culture Ministry of Brazil and the reports from Bombando Cidadania program. The research concludes that the appropriation of the creative economy contributes to the reduction of inequalities in the symbolic field, but there are serious material challenges to the construction of local development in the popular contexts.