News Hip-hop began as a musical expression of resistance and in Brazil the genre has become a platform for indigenous voices, some that even rap in their mother tongue – Guarani On Sunday (26 June), Bruno Veron, one of the founders of rap collective Brô MCs and an ethnic Guarani Kaiowá, put indigenous rap squarely in the spotlight when he carried the Rio 2016 Olympic torch in the town of Dourados in Mato Grosso do Sul “I am here representing my people Listen up, the Guarani voice reaches far Now I am here carrying the Olympic torch Yeah that’s right, I’m from Brô MC and I represent ” Bruno Veron Alongside friends Clemerson Batista, Kelvin Peixoto and Charlie Peixoto, Veron has taken the struggles of Brazil’s indigenous to the world through his music His lyrics speak on the fight for land rights and for the preservation of indigenous culture The group members come from the indigenous villages of Jaguapiru and Bororó, both of which lie about two miles outside of Dourados “We rap in Guarani in order to give value to our mother tongue and our culture We include a few things in Portuguese so that information can reach white people as well,” Veron says   As you might expect, the Brô MCs style is a departure from typical rap music, fusing classic hip-hop instrumentals with the music of indigenous instruments like the chocalho, an instrument that is shaken and commonly used during carnival, and the taquara, a type of wooden flute The group members all met each other in school, where Veron started to rap at school shows, introducing the music to his friends The groups official formation came in 2009 after they participated in hip-hop workshops put on by Higor Lobo, who today is the group’s producer Unexpected success In the same year, Brô MCs released their first demo with eight tracks Success came and their music caught Brazil’s attention The collective started to get invites to perform at various indigenous and non-indigenous events up and down the country “Our music is accepted in various places in Brazil Here in Mato Grosso do Sul, rap isn’t very big People here enjoy sertanejo (country-style pop music) music more But when we released our demo, we never thought we would reach so many people,” Veron says Veron passed the torch to fellow rap artist Dani (Rio 2016/Stefano Giorgi) Dani Muniz, who also worked in the group’s production team alongside her husband Lobo, eventually joined the group as a vocalist, providing the melodic quality and stage presence they felt they needed the group to really take off She also carried the torch in Dourados this Sunday For the 34-year-old singer, Brô MCs have broken down many barriers and raised the self-esteem of Brazil’s indigenous peoples A nation of millions “Many people have criticised the fact that indigenous people have started rapping But they haven’t lost their identity; they have taken up an instrument of expression When you are able to identify with a culture, it become something that belongs to you,” Muniz says “The group is well known outside of Mato Grosso do Sul, most importantly by indigenous communities across Latin America They feel Brô represent them and this for me is a real breaking down of barriers Brô have managed to relate to all ethnicities, and they all recognise them as the mouthpiece for all indigenous people ”