About DiDá

The Educational and Cultural Association Didá is a social program without solid financial support that gratuitously acts to promote educational activities on the basis of the art including the popular manifestations created and maintained by the Africans and their descendants. The educational foundation is in the transformation (of young lives) through percussion, more specifically of samba reggae. This variant of rhythms was created by Didá founder Neguinho do Samba. Neguinho has for more than three decades invested his experience and discipline to transform the lives of impoverished young children in the historic central district of Salvador, Bahia into responsible citizens and conscientious parents. These youth would otherwise be without prospects for a future.

Didá, is a Yorubá word that means the power of creation, the name was chosen by the Master Neguinho to communicate that creation is the way of all artistic expression. The name also relates directly to the beneficiaries of Didá, since it is women who give birth in our world. The Didá School today offers courses in 11 subjects: percussion, Afro dance, theater, capoeira, crafts, singing, drum battery, guitar, cavaquinho (a kind of small guitar), keyboard and sopro (a wind instrument). The number of students per year varies between 600 and 800 children and adolescents. Didá has 23 professionals including instructors, coordinators, maids, cooks, and collaborators. Each day basic meals are served; breakfast, lunch and supper for 40% of the pupils and evening snacks for 100% of the pupils.

Didá functions Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 9 PM. The main objective of Didá is the education of women and children through the performing arts. The courses are distributed between the days of the week, circulating between them and six concurrent educational projects:

  • Family Mocambo Didá
  • Afro Brazilian aesthetics and beauty
  • Bloco-Afro carnival
  • Store of articles Didá (merchandising)
  • The Sòdomo (an African word) project for young children
  • Center of feminine improvement Didá Feminine Band

In brief, these projects aim to stimulate collective constructive manifestations, to work together to establish the conscience of community experience respecting the similarities and the differences between people and activities.