The Sound Systems and the young people from the peripheries of São Paulo: affirming identities and expanding circuits

Abstract

Introduction: Youth groups from urban peripheries have been constituted around diverse artistic languages and have acquired central importance in the mediation of youths with society. Some gather around the reggae music Sound Systems, which with the sound occupation of public spaces through stacked speakers and vinyl records create cultural street events. Objectives: To learn about the Sound Systems as a cultural activity as well as its repercussions on the daily lives of young people who participate in groups that promote them. Methodology: Observation in Sound System events and interviews with young people who work as selectors of these groups, interpreted by thematic analysis. Results and discussion: Sound System groups have been organized around the conjunction between sonority, celebration and dissemination of values linked to black culture. The selectors interviewed argue that the Sound System should provide opportunities to learn about the historical oppression of black people, as well as to strengthen of black identity and culture. Social belonging, increased self-esteem and opportunities for personal learning were changes they associated with participation in the Sound System culture. Final considerations: The groups actively seek to build bridges between the Jamaican reggae universe and the realities experienced by young black people from the disadvantaged peripheral areas of São Paulo city, investing in the rescue of history and the aggregating powers of memory, sound, symbols and messages from reggae culture.