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MANGUEIRA:  Winner of Rio Carnival Parade with celebration of  black, indigenous, and female heroes

The samba school from Mangueira, a favela community known for its cultural pride and talent, won the Rio Sambadrome competition parade for the 20th time with a show that paid tribute to Rio councilwoman Marielle Franco, who was assassinated almost a year ago.

In a year in which many parades celebrated black culture, Mangueira featured a samba song about the unsung Brazilian heroes, many of them indigenous, black or females, such as Franco. Her same-sex widow Mônica Benício paraded along the last section, honoring favela dwellers that rose above their circumstances.

The parade subverted the images of many historical figures, like Brazil discoverer Pedro Álvares Cabral, portrayed as a con man and using a prison uniform. A famous monument in São Paulo honoring the Bandeirantes (Portuguese settlers who led expeditions inside Brazil’s backcountry) was stained red from the blood of the indigenous tribes these settlers encountered.  

Mangueira obtained perfect scores from the judges, and even before the result was announced, its members were already singing its song and celebrating their victory.

Source:  Folha de São Paulo (7 março 2019)