The jongo, also known as caxambu, is a dance of African origin that had a strong influence in the formation of Rio’s samba and the Brazilian popular culture as a whole. For fifty years, Grupo Cultural do Jongo da Serrinha (Jongo da Serrinha Cultural Group) has been spreading out and perpetuating the genre in the Madureira neighborhood, where it has recently opened its new headquarters, the Casa do Jongo (Jongo House). The new Culture Center has around two thousand square meters, located on the slope of the Morro da Serrinha, and aims at creating a amilyfriendly atmosphere that preserves the memory of jongo and propagates art and human development. The house has a dancing room, music studio, rooms for profession courses, auditorium, a space for permanent exhibitions, stores, cine-club, multilanguage arts school, room for prayers, and a terreiro for jongo and capoeira practice.

The new place gathers contemporary objects and pieces of regular houses from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, in a fun and colorful décor. On its first year, the house will promote communitarian events, such as cinema shows, parties, reading week, art performances, and music recordings, whose cultural impact goes beyond the Madureira neighborhood. A benchmark of the Rio immaterial patrimony, Casa do Jongo also offers free complimentary activities for public daycare and schools of Serrinha, as well as partnerships with universities, public and private institutions, and foreign countries focusing on Africa.