Carnival In Rio

Fun & Politics

State of Rio de Janeiro

• Portuguese for "River of January"

•City Limits: 1,182.3 square kilometres (456.5 sq mi)

•Metro area population: 11.5 million

Capital of the state of Rio

was the capital of Brazil (1763–1960) and of the Portuguese Empire (1808–1821)

City Population: 6 million+

•Known for its African-influenced samba music and carnival celebrations

Population

•European (56%)

•Mixed-race (32.3%)

•Black African (11.4%)

•Asian (0.1%)

•Amerindian (0.1%).[5]

•The

Districts of Rio Districts of Rio

The downtown (centro): the historic hub of Rio. There is much culture to be enjoyed here including historic churches, landmarks, the national library, and museums. It is also the financial center of the community, where some of Brazil’s largest state companies are located

• The South Zone: a Tourist hub, home to some of Rio’s famous beaches, where Copacabana hosts one of the largest new year’s celebrations in the world.; also home to Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, a famous catholic university.

Rio - Marvelous City:

Zona Sul

•The

Districts of Rio Districts of Rio

North Zone: some tourism, housing, Estádio do Maracanã, a high capacity soccer venue; Galeão - International Airport, and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

• The West Zone: This part is where the stark differences between the classes can be seen best, There are industrial parts and agricultural parts and some are experiencing accelerated growth.

FAVELAS – Shantytowns of Rio de Janeiro

Though Rio is one of the richest areas in all of brazil, the reality of the poverty Is ripe here, especially with the economic prosperity.

Quote: “Brazil is not a poor country, but a country of many poor”

•15% of the city's 6 million inhabitants lives in poverty •Many with low schooling, unemployed, or homeless

The favelas are troubled by…•widespread drug-related crime•gang warfare•police brutality•lack of sanitation and other poverty-related social issues.

RIO DE JANIERO…

…Has large industries in high tech items, agriculture, and livestock etc

…Income distribution unequal, economic growth has benefited very few. The workforce, which is the backbone of industry, live in hillside shanty towns

…has booming tourism attractions including cultural, like museums, theaters, operas, ballets or typical entertainment like beaches, where the wealthy can windsurf and sail, and bars, nightclubs, and cinemas

…is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa translated to "The Marvelous City"

CARNIVAL: ORIGINS • Ancient Greece • In honor of Dionysus, god of wine.• Came to Rome. In honor of Bacchus,

the Roman equivalent. • Roman Catholic Church modified it

into a festival before Ash Wednesday.• This turned into your last chance to

indulge in alcohol, sex, music, and food.

• Carne Vale - Latin for, “farewell to the flesh”.

• Immigrants from Portuguese islands brought it to Brazil. They called it entrudo.

• Carnival in Rio dates back to at least 1723.

• Objective: throw water, food, and mud. Get everybody sufficiently wet. Then you riot.

Evolution in Rio de Janeiro

• Starting on Saturday

• four days of celebration

• Beginning of Lent - The forty days the precede Easter.

Carnival: Marti Grau on Steroids

You will see

• Colorful costumes. Feathery and outrageous.

• Samba dancers and musicians

• Parades• Floats!

Photograph: Antonio Scorza/AFP/Getty

Samba Schools• Each samba school is

a organized group from a poor neighborhood. They try to put on an extravagant display. Up to 4,000 in the school.

• Dramatize a theme as a single unit using floats, marching samba bands (music).

• Singer/dancers surround the float. Attire stimulates fantasy

Sambadrome• Samba

Parade at the Sambadrome.

• Ticket can cost hundreds of dollars.

• Best fourteen Samba schools parade for up to an hour in hopes to win.

• Seven on Sunday night and Seven on Monday night

Not one of the big fourteen?

• Take to the streets in their neighborhood.

• You can join in these street processions

• Also known as blocos.

For the wealthy, balls or bailes

• For the elite and celebrities.

• Pay for tickets.

• Designer costumes

• Copacabana Palace Hotel has the most prestigious ball but there are many balls.

Political Aspects of Carnaval

• Planning• Populism• Propaganda• Power

Planning/Logistics• Tourism

– Emergency travel plans

– RIOTUR

• The Parades– Privatization

Planning/Logistics• Policing

– Violence discourages tourism

– Federal Soldiers sent in to help

• Public Health– Dengue Fever– Sexually

Transmitted Diseases

Populism

• A chance for the poor to escape reality– Each neighborhood has

their own form of Carnaval in the streets

– Blocos

• Samba Schools– “One of the bases of

community organization for the favela slums”

– A form of political expression for the poor

Propaganda• “We’re in an election year, and

they’re all opportunists”– Mangueira school & the Sao Francisco

river– Sao Paulo Mayor & Governor appeared on

a float

• Venezuelan Influence in 2009 – Soy loco por ti, America (I’m crazy about

you, America) – Sponsored by PVDSA

Power: Licit & Illicit• Connection between

organized crime and Samba Schools– Most schools located in poor

areas run by drug lords

• Jogo Do Bicho (the animal game)– Bichieros– Salgueiro samba school

president and his wife killed a few days before Carnaval

Drug-related Violence: always a Threat

High on life or something else…?• Cocaine easily available in Carnaval

- “The dealers make as much during the four days of Carnaval as they normally do in two months.” - Police officer in the Brazilian daily Jornal do Brasil

• Drug-trafficking violence• Samba schools- linked to organized crime, some

of the drug mafia’s best customers

Homosexuals: Tolerance & Hate Crimes

• Rio de Janeiro: historically known as a mecca of sensuality and tolerance- “There is no sin south of the equator.”

• Carnival open to drag queen performers etc., but the prevailing culture of Rio and (the rest of Brazil) has an undercurrent of anti-gay violence

• Discrimination: related to Roman Catholicism ,traditional culture, and machismo (male dominance)

• Government’s benign neglect - Brazilian law allows for harsher prison sentences for hate crimes, but sexual-orientation hate crimes not included

Carnival in Rio: Infused with Racial Politics

• Carnival intended to embody “democracia racial” (racial democracy)

• Conspicuous diversity and “race mixing”

• Celebrates the African contribution to Brazilian culture

• African-Brazilians ignored as an interest group until recently

Questions for Discussion

• How does the celebration of Carnival mirror the ethnic and racial composition of Brazil?

• Do you think that government sponsorship of Carnival builds political support for the mayor of Rio de Janeiro and the governor of the state of Guanabara?

• What components of Brazilian political culture do you see in the celebration of Carnival

Sources

The EconomistHouston ChronicleWTOPnews.comSpiegel OnlineAviation DailyThe GuardianBrazilMax.com

LatinVoyager.comBBC News online

The Washington Post

Sources (cont.)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/http://www.afropop.org/http://www.ipanema.com

http://www.hillmanwonders.comhttp://travel.webshots.com