Established 1961 29 Lifestyle Features Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Revelers of the Beija-Flor perform during the second night of A reveler of the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school performs during the A performer waits in front of costumes on the second night of Rio’s Carnival at the Rio’s Carnival at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, , yesterday. second night of Rio’s Carnival.— AFP photos Sambadrome. Drag queen caps unusually political Rio samba parades Revelers of the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school per- form. razil’s superstar drag queen Pabllo Vittar provided a LGBT people in 2017, a 30 percent increase over the pre- flashy closing highlight in Rio de Janeiro’s final sam- vious year. Bba parades early yesterday, capping a carnival filled with unusually sharp criticism of the country’s leaders. Carnival-phobic mayor The last six parades in the two-night extravaganza at the Beija Flor also used its floats and costumes to take aim 72,000 capacity Sambodromo stadium began with the at a corruption scandal that has spread from national oil famed samba school late Monday. After company Petrobras through Brazil’s whole political class the traditional fireworks salute, Tijuca kicked off in a thun- over the last four years. Criticism of corruption also dering barrage from drummers in glossy blue suits. stood out during the first night on Sunday. Brazil’s cen- Massed ranks of dancers and singers dressed as jellyfish, ter-right President Michel Temer, who has single-digit then a float representing a coral reef, came on their heels- support in polls and is awash in corruption scandals, was the first contingent of some 3,000 performers. Vittar portrayed in the Paraiso do Tuiuti school’s parade as a appeared in the last parade with the Beija Flor school in money-grabbing vampire. But among Sambodromo par- the wee hours of Tuesday. One float was made up to look ticipants and crowd, there was special ire for Rio’s mayor, A reveler of the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school per- like a favela, or slum, with everyday scenes of life there: Marcelo Crivella. forms during the second night of Rio’s Carnival at the kidnappings, shootings and a body in a coffin with the Crivella-a bishop in the evangelical mega-church Sambadrome. message, “another bit of hope lost.” founded by his billionaire uncle-can hardly conceal his Revelers of the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school per- disdain for the carnival’s excesses of the flesh ahead of form during the second night of Rio’s Carnival at the the start of Roman Catholic Lent on Ash yesterday. He Sambadrome. has halved carnival subsidies and refuses to attend the parades. “What the mayor did was ugly,” said Paulo Roberto, wearing an indigenous tribesman costume for the school parade on Monday. “It’s against Rio, because this is Rio right here-Rio is samba.” On Sunday, the Mangueira samba school responded to Crivella with a bare plastic backside on one of their floats. “The bum represents the mayor for cutting our budget, for trying to end our happiness,” said Mangueira staff member Helton Dias, 28.

‘Anesthetic’ for hurting country The faceoff between the samba schools in the pur- pose-built Sambodromo is taken every bit as seriously as the city’s other great love, football. The 13 competing schools each get about an hour to parade in front of judges and tens of thousands of hyped up fans. Last year, the contest ended in a draw between the Mocidade and A reveler of the Portela samba school performs during the Portela schools. The new champion will be announced on second night of Rio’s Carnival at the Sambadrome. Revellers of the Beija Flor samba school perform during the second night of Rio’s Carnival at the Sambadrome.

People need these fantasies

A reveler of the Beija-Flor samba school performs during the second night of Rio’s Carnival at the Sambadrome. Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba school perform during the second night of Rio’s Carnival at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On another, revelers dressed as corrupt business- Wednesday. For many, carnival offers a moment to forget men, their pockets bulging with dollars, handed out about Brazil’s profound problems-at least for a few days. wads of cash. Vittar himself danced atop a float wear- Latin America’s biggest country is only just emerging ing rainbow colors in support of the LGBT community from its worst recession in history. In swaths of Rio, crime in Brazil. The hugely popular singer’s participation gave is out of control, the economy remains moribund and a new edge to the annual samba contest, whose first social services for the poor are in tatters. night on Sunday was already marked by colorful digs at “People need these fantasies,” said physiotherapist unpopular politicians. Tall, with long blonde hair, Vittar Marcio de Castro, 53, as he prepared his costume for the fits perfectly into the flamboyant, anything-goes Sao Clemente school’s parade. “It’s as if during carnival, atmosphere of the Sambodromo. On arriving to watch we all take an anesthetic.” But reality still intrudes. Samba parades Sunday, the drag queen was met with shrieks composer Moacyr Luz arrived by taxi at the and cheers from fans. Sambodromo’s staging area in the early hours of Monday Vittar bolstered one of Beija Flor’s principal themes in and was promptly robbed, O Globo news site reported. its parade-the fight against sexual and other forms of The thieves even took his costume. — AFP intolerance. It’s an issue of deadly importance for gay and A reveler of the Uniao da Ilha samba school performs during transgender Brazilians: the rights group Grupo Gay de Revelers of the Portela samba school perform during the sec- the second night of Rio’s Carnival at the Sambadrome. reported in January that there were 387 murders of ond night of Rio’s Carnival at the Sambadrom.