Yayá Massemba (Brazil)
- jocelyn331
- Apr 16
- 1 min read
Yayá Massemba is a music project founded in 2018 in Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, with the aim of highlighting the creative contributions of women as musicians and composers. The group’s name combines “Yayá” (mother, in Yoruba) and “Massemba” (belly button, in Kimbundu), symbolizing origin, nourishment, and cultural legacy. In 2024, the band released its first original EP, featuring songs that pay tribute to the forces of nature and traditional samba masters of Bahia. Rooted in Afro-Brazilian cultural references, the group centers themes of ancestry, the environment, and the role of women in musical heritage.
Featured Song:
“De Umbigo a Umbigo,” (From Belly Button to Belly Button) from their EP of the same name, is
about a spiritual and personal journey guided by love, ancestral wisdom, and the natural elements. It reflects on the cyclical paths of life, invoking Afro-Brazilian orixás (deities) like Kalunga, Oxum, Nana, and Oyá for guidance, strength, and connection to one’s roots and heritage. “In life I have been caught, lost and found / Back and forth on the paths that I have walked / In the twists and turns that the world has given / We must have the strength to face, to look inside yourself.”
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