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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
March 5, 2006
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| February 2, 2006 |
The Man Who Brought Brazilian Music to Japan – Francis Silva |
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| Francis Silva’s performances onboard captivated those who attended. Photo: Stacey Hughes. |
Staring into the endless blue horizon, Francis Silva expresses his mixed feelings as the Peace Boat makes its way across the Atlantic. “Many years ago” he recalls, “my ancestors made the same voyage… but in very different conditions, of course.” Our Afro-Brazilian musical guest is recalling one of the darkest chapters in human history: the enslavement of 30 million Africans taken against their will to the Americas. Throughout his life, he has made a conscious effort to use his heritage in a positive manner, focusing particularly in its music. As a result, Francis has been regarded a true virtuoso in Afro-Brazilian percussion, whose rhythms enchant audiences across the globe. |
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| The God of the Pandero performing with the instrument that has brought him fame. |
Francis first arrived in Japan over three decades ago already bearing the title of “God of the Pandero” – Portuguese for tambourine. Since then, he has single handedly been responsible for developing the largest Brazilian-style annual carnival in the world outside his native Brazil: the Asakusa Samba Carnaval of Tokyo. Francis’ beginnings, however, were far from glamorous. He had lived through military dictatorship in Brazil, rejected record deals and he arrived in Japan with only a few dollars in his pocket. |
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| The timbal, one of the many percussion instruments in which Francis is skilled at. |
The largest city in Brazil, São Paulo, played the stage for Francis’ childhood. His uncle performed with a local band in the neighborhood bar on the weekend afternoons, and from a young age Francis remembers being inspired by their appearances. His family, like many others in Brazil, lacked financial means to buy instruments or pay for music lessons. So, Francis took it upon himself to build his first pandero at the age of nine. Using a large tin can top, he carved holes and attached smaller pieces of tin and metal which would jingle. Since formal lessons were hard to come by, he sought inspiration in his environment – particularly nature. “The birds and centipedes were my music teachers” Francis recalls laughing, yet dead serious. “I would attempt to imitate with my fingers the centipede’s perfectly rhythmic and wave-like movement of its legs.” |
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| Francis leads a Samba dance on the upper deck of the ship. Photo: Stacey Hughes. |
By the age of 16, Francis was a successful band leader playing in several clubs around the city. He realized making a living doing what he loved best could be a reality, so he took it very seriously. During his later teenager years, his career took off and his band “Samba 7+” began touring all over Brazil, Latin America, and eventually even Europe and Asia. Shortly after turning 20 he traveled to Japan for the first time, and felt very much intrigued by a society he perceived as “highly respectful, peaceful and disciplined.” |
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| Francis left his beloved country seeking a more peaceful environment. Photo: Stacey Hughes. |
Meanwhile, in Brazil, Francis became aware of the unfair treatment many musicians received, especially when it came to financial matters. Hence, he began organizing and fellow musicians and attempted to form a labor union. But, this period in the late 1970’s marked a time when military regimes dominated the countries of Latin America, of which Brazil was no exception. Francis’ attempts to organize other artists were met by clandestine threats, which he mostly ignored, until his father was mysteriously hit by a car, which turned out be government owned. The threat suddenly became very real, and despite nearing a music record deal, Francis felt it prudent to leave for a while. After stops in Macau and Hong Kong, he arrived in Tokyo in 1978. He has not left since. |
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| Peace Boat participants practice for the Samba carnaval organized by Francis. |
Despite not knowing a word of English or Japanese, Francis managed to make ends meet in Tokyo using his talent. Living in a small hostel in Asakusa, he developed a small clientele of eager percussion students. At the time, Francis recalls how “Brazilian music was pretty much non-existent in Japan, hence it became a great opportunity to develop it.” In 1984, he initiated along with the local district government the first Asakusa Carnaval which only consisted of three samba groups, known as schools. Today, the Asakusa Carnaval hosts over 30 samba schools annually - the largest outside Brazil. |
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| Francis leads a drum circle, while two participants join in with didgeridoos. |
Having been a guest on a previous voyage, Francis once again brought onboard his bright presence. Besides percussion performances, he organized an onboard Samba carnaval which took place under a warm starry sky the night prior to the 52nd voyages arrival to Rio de Janeiro. In addition, Francis also led several drum circle workshops which demonstrated the power of non-oral communication. As he firmly states: “percussion is the best language in the world and the first one mankind had.” |
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