José Bonifácio da Luz, known by his ritual name Bengala, is a senior of his African-descendent Maroon community of Arturos, on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Bengala is a third-generation practitioner and master of Congado, a devotional–ceremonial performance ritual involving singing, dancing, percussion, and procession that is practiced by Afro-Brazilian communities across Brazil.
Working with program founder José Jorge de Carvalho, Bengala was one of the first Masters to teach in Meeting of Knowledges at the University of Brasília. Bengala now teaches through the program at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte. In 2022, that university bestowed on him the title of Doutor em Música (“Doctor of Music”) for his cultural knowledge, skills, and contribution to culture and education.
Bengala believes that profiling diverse knowledges in music education is about more than educational and social outcomes: it is also a way to celebrate, promote, and ensure a strong future for treasured cultural practices.
