Not just naked skin: Why Carnival in Rio is highly political

It’s Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. And the scene of the bus attack is one of the most realistic performances that samba schools have put on on the straight mile in recent years.

Just bare skin? On the contrary: in the world famous Sambadrome von Rio de Janeiro show the Samba schools sometimes the brutal reality of Brazilian life. And, unfortunately, that includes Robberies with drawn weapons.

The carnival as a reappraisal of the slave era

The Samba School Cubango once made the topic “colonialism” to their central statement. A white, bearded overseer whipped in the arena black slaves out of. They wore heavy necklaces and screamed in pain. Desperate other slaves rushed to the victim’s aid, but they too were hit by the landowner’s whip.

The story of the Afro-Brazilian population takes place in Sambadrome a big role. And it is illuminated in all its facets: The Slave timedie Culture and musicdie Religion Candombléthe football around Skin or Garrincha – Brazil lives its history here.

While it’s mostly just Pictures of scantily clad bodies from carnival to Europe, the days are in Sambadrome far more than that. It is a sometimes tough confrontation and coming to terms with the past and the here and now. There will be discussions again this year. At the center of the debate is Brazil’s president Luis Inácio „Lula“ da Silva.

Sambaschule plant “Lula-Show”

The Samba School “Niterói Academics“, one of the largest and most popular in the world metropolis, will make its show a homage to the politician Election year Although this is not without controversy, millions are still flowing Tax money to promote culture into the coffers of the samba schools. Critics complain about one illegal campaign aid and have the highest electoral court TSE turned on. Tax money should be cut from the school.

It’s Carnival in Rio more inclined to the Lula camp than the conservative opposition, so for Lula it was a political home game – and yet a risk. After an interim high in the polls during the Customs disputes with US President Donald Trumpwhich gave Lula a boost in popularity, normality has returned. And according to the latest surveys, that says Flavio Bolsonaroson and replacement candidate for the imprisoned father Jaircan increase.

The October elections will no longer be a sure-fire success for Lula. According to Poder360, opposition to the incumbent rose to 44 percent in February. And not all people will be like that Sambadrome The president himself also knows that to celebrate the Lula show. Should the mood in the stadium or on social media turn against the move of the “Niterói Academics“, it could become a political own goal.

“Queens” in focus

The real stars of the carnival are the schools’ samba queens. The organization “LIESA”, which is responsible for marketing and media work, has long recognized this. The process of her transformation – putting on make-up, trying on the costume – every appearance is accompanied and documented by the media. For the broadcasting station “Globo”, this offers an ideal advertising environment for a beauty industry that is already one of the most important advertising customers in Brazil.

The queens now travel around the world as ambassadors. One of them is Mayara Limashe represents the samba school GRES Paraíso do Tuiuti; around 1.5 million people follow her on Instagram.

In an interview with KURIER, Lima sees herself as an ambassador of a cultural movement and a history: “There is a legacy, a tradition of people who were there before me and paved the way.” For her, Carnival means everything: “It’s our big festival, the biggest spectacle in the world. Every year more people want to be near me and want to understand our culture better.”