LITTLE AFRICAS

Ernesto Joaquim Maria dos Santos (1889-1974), or Donga, faced a longstanding controversy over the authorship of “Pelo telefone”, which he registered under his name at the National Library, later including journalist Mauro de Almeida, a.k.a. Peru dos Pés Frios [Cold-footed Turkey], as a partner. Broadly speaking, his critics argue that the song appropriates motifs sung in Tia Ciata’s house, suggesting collective authorship. In a statement about samba’s origins or in the “communication” in which he rebuts accusations from the composer and broadcaster Almirante, Donga defends his positions in impeccable typescript, a skill acquired from his work as a court clerk.