the founding of the samba-reggae bloco is considered an act of courage to this day, given that ilê aiyê was formed during the dark days of brazil's military dictatorship - however, this only adds to the controversy surrounding its black-brazilian only policy.

to most bahians it is not important, many view the bloco as a celebration of the region's unique musical taste and culture, and are willing to overlook the strict policy - the band is also seen as one of the last bastions of the original carnival, refusing to fall prey to the commercial side of the festival that has grown so rapidly during the last couple of decades - the group's music is best heard on a disk on natasha records in brazil, called ''ile aiye 25 anos''.