“They used to say drumming wasn’t for women because the instrument was heavy,” said Jean. “But we’re warrior women, and yes, we can play. And the proof of that is there in the street: we play just as well as the men.”

An hour later, after their rehearsal and backstage at an Olodum show a block away, Olodum’s vice president, Marcelo Gentil, said he can’t disagree. “They are from Bahia, so they drank from the same source as Neguinho,” he said, referring to the man who is regarded as the founder of the samba-reggae rhythm that drives much of the drumming in Salvador. “And they play that rhythm a lot better than men who aren’t from Bahia.”