Who Gets to Sing at the Rio Carnival?
Carnival belongs to black Brazilians — and they are learning to use it to their advantage
As a black Brazilian who grew up abroad, I never quite understood the meaning of Carnival. Sure, I knew it was a time to party and do away with the inhibitions of everyday life. But up until very recently, I couldn’t grasp the almost religious importance my fellow countrymen and women place on a street party that costs millions of dollars to stage, in a nation that lacks so much. Indeed, Carnival is the only thing that seems to run like clockwork in Brazil, displaying the kind of efficiency that the country’s schools and hospitals can only dream of.
Of course, my simplistic views about one of the greatest shows on earth were misguided, as all simplistic views are. Carnival is one of the many cultural gifts hailing from Rio’s favelas and a source of pride and joy for many at the bottom of society.
On mainstream media, favela communities are portrayed as places plagued by violence and poverty, no-go areas to outsiders. Yet their contribution to the country’s culture has permeated all facets of everyday life — from food and music to dance and sports. It is also where most of Rio’s black residents live.
