The Bloco Afro Ara Ketu were the first band to blend acoustic drumming with electric instruments in 1991. Always bending toward research on modern Africa (while the other Afro-Bloco players look for ancient African roots), the Ara Ketu ended up deprived of Afro-Bloco characteristics throughout the '90s. The group was formed in 1981 by historian Vera Lacerda (the Bloco president) and the pai-de-santo (a kind of Afro ritual priest) Augusto César (the Bloco cultural director), who brought their historical, cultural, aesthetic, and religious background into an association which, through Carnival, celebrates black pride and culture. The Bloco's plots for Carnival tell the history of blacks and pay tribute to the African gods. Oxóssi, the hunting orixá, is the Bloco's guard. Ara Ketu's colors are blue and the white, like their orixá's. The social work developed by the Bloco within the community of the Periperi borough (Salvador) comprises dance, theater, and beach soccer. ~ Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide