Mario Patrocinio and kuduro rhythm: dancing after the war
Mario Patrocinio's first film was Complexo Alemao: Universo Paralelo (2010) which was made inside one of the largest favelas in Rio de Janeiro, showing the lives of ordinary people and the impact on them of the drug trade. His interest in the energy and originality of Kuduro began in the '90's and in 2011 in Angola he formed a partnership with Coreon Du to make his new film "I Love Kuduro".
To understand Kuduro it has to be seen against the backdrop of the long civil war following independence in Angola. Young people are hungry for change and a way to express themselves, in a country which despite its rapidly growing economy is still very unequal.
The film makers were not making a political film, but as Mario says: "What really captivates me is the essence of the human being, people's ways of facing life and breaking down barriers and the ability people have to exceed themselves."
I met Mario in Lisbon after the film was shown at the DocLisboa festival, and he shares his infectious enthusiasm and tells The Prisma, why he loves Kuduro.
This interview was first published in The Prisma Multicultural Newspaper on November 24th 2013, and the full story can be read here: