Reinaldo Pedro da Cruz is a dancer, choreographer, singer, composer, actor and cultural activist who also navigates in black religiosity in Lauro de Freitas.

Mestre Fuscão, born in Cosme de Farias, Salvador/Ba on July 29, would have his birthday with São Pedro and is from 1968: “the year that hasn't ended”. Owner of a smile that enchants for its authenticity and friendliness, he is a multiple artist sensitized by the Afro-Brazilian popular culture in Lauro de Freitas. We are in the middle of the novocoronavirus pandemic, on a sunny morning of December 21, 2020. For him, solidarity is the main way to fight the pandemic.

Thinking about the other is what makes people act with the responsibility that the moment requires. The pandemic brought activities scheduled to take place in Vitória da Conquista, Rio de Janeiro and return to France (commemoration of Gypsy Day, St. Bartholomew and St. Madalena day), when he especially remembers the locations of Tours, Marseille and Montguyon from his tour of 16 cities).

He had his artistic awakening at Colégio Lomanto Júnior around 1982, when he met the choir and asked teacher Divani (from Itapuã): “I was born on the day of São Pedro! I want to sing for the fishermen (from Itapuã), I want to sing for São Pedro!” the song “A Barca” still impresses him today.

At the same time, he approached the theater. The artistic-cultural activities were manifestations that took Mestre Fuscão and led him to organize his hut. For him “art is what moves man towards the sublime, alleviates tensions and removes prejudices”. He understands that art must be made to raise awareness without a commitment to please, demonstrating that he is more concerned with the critical role and less with plastic: “With all the problems that popular culture faces, it maintains the mission of easing the pains of the day. -morning".

The Cabana do Fusão is located in the Itinga neighborhood in Lauro de Freitas, Bahia, Brazil, a very pleasant place, with a large, well-lit, ventilated, inspiring and cozy space, the host that leaves us at ease: a delight. Cabana hosted the dance company, then a dance group and also a carnival block, under the name of Grupo Cultural Zambiã focused on Afro culture, founded on June 2, 1992. Currently, Cabana do Fuscão hosts the activities of Banda Fuscão and Samba focused on popular culture mixing several styles of samba that was awarded by the Public Notice of Law Aldir Blanc.

Fuscão is a master of capoeira, but his preference is for the Afro dance. He also choreographs, sings, acts, composes, is percussionist, directs and produces. It is an inexhaustible source of ideas and projects, always focusing on popular culture, he values ​​the study and research to build his art. It maintains the cultural-religious space Cabana do Fuscão , a space always open to music, theater and dance. The Raízes da Senzala Capoeira Group also functions, led by partner Mestre Beto and teacher Vando , also with percussion classes. It has hosted craft fairs with partners from Itacaré (Casa de Boneco - 2015), Mestre Beti from Salinas das Margaridas, as well as participants from Pituba, Cosme de Farias, Itapuã, Engenho Velho.

The Zambia he speaks with feeling. It registers people especially fundamental for the first formation of Zambiã : Dona Nalvinha, mother of Debora do Amor Divino, Dona Dora, hand of Emanuele (Ex. Director of Culture of the Municipality): “they supported what they could”. He remembers having innovated by taking women to percussion, the first similar initiative in Lauro de Freitas. With women playing, dancing and singing was innovation beyond Lauro de Freitas. He is very grateful to all employees who believed in the project of his initiative. He understands that there was a Fuscão-Zambian fusion with joint growth and a blend of identity. He is proud to have lived Zambian , with his faith and orixás; having traveled to Spain, France and many other places, besides having participated in a variety of activities with Araketo , Gum with Banana, Malê de Balê , Muzenza, etc.

Umbanda leader, Reinaldo is also “from Santo”. Son of Oxossi, of Xangô and guided by Exu. He has Oxum as the woman in his life, but he always bows to Iemanjá and Iansã. The religious space in “normal times” works “in normal times” on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It also reserves the space for religious activities where black, indigenous, gypsy ancestral diversity works, with orixás, kardecists and spiritists, introduction of leaves, aromas and rituals interacting with music and art in a true spiritual experience, facilitating the destiny of all of us: the evolution.

In 1990, he staged his first dance show called “We are all one tribe” at the 1st Afro Dance Workshop of Lauro de Freitas, at the Cine Teatro de Lauro de Freitas, Afro-contemporary Dance was a show with several dance modules , adaptation of the movements of the orixás to a reference theme, percussion, capoeira movements, as in the show “We are all one tribe” with references by Dorival Caymmi. He was awarded the Puã Trophy (1994) for Best Dance Solo, Best Dance Group, Best Afro Singing, Best Percussion, when he assembled a fusion of samba, dance, choral. Always taking advantage of the best of each artist, their skills, identity and adapting to the show, Fuscão teaches the way to achievement and success.

At Samba Junino, until the 1990s, with Bibas Sambas (by Mestre Bibas), Mestre Fuscão was the protagonist in Lauro de Freitas. It was always samba with themes from São João. It was a school for many people who could learn to play the instruments, like Mestre Fuscão himself in the marking, peal and timbal . In the Levada do samba de roda, there were local disputes and then with neighborhoods in Salvador, such as Nordeste de Amaralina , Engenho Velho de Brotas, Engenho Velho da Federação, Alto das Pombas, Santa Cruz (background samba with high party). There were modalities: best drums, queen of samba, best costumes, best percussion and best singer. The samba junino helped to calm the differences in the neighborhood because the guy from Portão knew he had to go to Itinga, to the samba junino, so he wasn't up to it. And vice versa; in addition to flirting too. It was the birth of a community. With the introduction of string instruments, an accommodation was necessary because it was already necessary to tune the levels of these instruments, erasing a little the freedom of the percussion, with the consequence of dismantling the samba junino proposal, which was missed. They were true spontaneous parades through the streets, passing by the houses of the community with a lot of samba junino, tasting that little liqueur and typical food from São João.

At the opening of the Lauro de Freitas carnival, the Banda Fuscão e Samba stars with the Bloco Amigos do Zambiã . He says “Those who have tradition can't stop” and doesn't stop. It intends to carry out the projects for the Implementation of the Afro-Brazilian Culture Study Center; Elderly: Ancestry and Life; Dance, Samba de roda, Partido alto and Capoeira are not to be missed. The intention is mainly to touch people's minds with the study of movements. His vision embraces the concern for all peoples, not just the African, he pays homage to the Indians, the gypsies; The activities at Cabana do Fuscão always bring gastronomy with the Bahian cuisine as the main reference.

He understands that artists need to have space to get out of the invisibility that the system that values ​​mass culture imposes on them, because “the artist pays the price for having no price”; so you have to fight to open spaces, most of the times not remembered by public policies. Hence his support for the work of Laurocriativa.

Source: Interview given to Laurocriativa on 12/21/2020.