Samba and Surveillance: Censorship and Black Music during Brazilian Military Rule, 1964–1985

Abstract

The censorship and surveillance practices imposed on samba schools, musical performances, and compositions in Rio de Janeiro during the period of the military dictatorship (1964–1985) targeted black political organization at large and musical perspectives on black history and culture. Interviews with samba musicians and analyses of political police documents underscore the military government’s control of discourses and suppression of archives, demonstrating that censorship and surveillance in music and the arts continued after 1985. As práticas de censura e vigilância impostas às escolas de samba, performances e composições musicais no Rio de Janeiro durante o período da ditadura militar (1964-1985) cercearam a organização política negra em geral e as perspectivas musicais sobre a história e a cultura negras. Entrevistas com sambistas e análises de documentos policiais ilustram o controle governamental de discursos e o apagamento de arquivos, demonstrando que a censura e a vigilância na música e nas artes continuaram após 1985.