Government of Pará declares official mourning for the passing of Master Damasceno

The Government of the State of Pará declares three days of official mourning, starting this Tuesday (26), due to the passing of the symbol of Marajoara culture, Master Damasceno. The artist was honored at the 28th Pan-Amazon Book and Multivoices Fair in 2025 and awarded the Order of Cultural Merit, a high honor granted by the Ministry of Culture, leaving a legacy in carimbó, Búfalo-Bumbá, and the tradition of Marajó.

“It is with great sadness that we receive the news of the death of dear Master Damasceno. It was an honor to pay tribute to him in life at this year's Pan-Amazon Book and Multivoices Fair. His legacy in Pará's culture is immeasurable and will continue to touch generations. My condolences to fans, friends, and family. May God comfort you in this moment of pain,” laments the governor, who signed the decree for official mourning in the State.

Damasceno Gregório dos Santos, Master Damasceno, passed away at the age of 71 on Municipal Carimbó Day, this Tuesday (26), after battling cancer. Since June 22, the artist had been hospitalized in Belém, diagnosed with the disease in a state of metastasis in the lungs, liver, and kidneys.

LIFE - Born in 1954 in the Quilombola Community of Salvá, in Salvaterra, in the Marajó archipelago, Damasceno became a reference in carimbó, toadas, and oral poetry. Accounts of Master Damasceno's life were edited in the work “Mestre Damasceno e as Cantorias do Marajó,” launched during the Pan-Amazon Fair, for the youth audience.

SAMBA – Among the artist's most recent achievements is Pará's victory in the Samba-Enredo contest of Grande Rio for the 2025 carnival. The winner was the Pará samba school "Deixa Falar" which composed the title "A mina é cocoriô!" conceived for the plot "Pororocas Parawaras: The Waters of My Charms in the Accounts of Curimbós." The composition is signed by Master Damasceno and other musicians.