Down The Middle News: Rio carnival takes aim at Brazil’s gun-toting ‘messiah’ Jair Bolsonaro

Prime samba “faculties” in Brazil’s Carnival capital Rio de Janeiro paraded for a second night time on Monday, peppering the annual scorching fusion of music, dance and costume with jabs on the nation’s president, Jair Bolsonaro.

The final six of the town’s 13 prime samba faculties took to the “sambodromo”, or Sambadrome, with tons of of colorfully dressed and a few scantily clad dancers and musicians parading behind enormous, elaborate floats designed round a broad theme.

Monday’s parades, which ran effectively into the early hours of Tuesday, touched on many themes, amongst them Bolsonaro, who has reduce a controversial and divisive determine since being sworn into workplace in January final yr.

Brazilian actor and comic Marcelo Adnet starred within the Sao Clemente faculty’s parade dressed up as Bolsonaro, mockingly doing push ups, saluting, and firing an imaginary gun together with his fingers, all of which the ex-army captain has executed in public throughout his presidency.

The Sao Clemente float additionally displayed placards with the phrases “It’s OK?!”, a well-liked Bolsonaro phrase, and “It was Leonardo di Caprio”, a reference to Bolsonaro blaming the Hollywood actor for the Amazon rainforest fires final yr.

Since Bolsonaro took workplace in January 2019, Brazilians have been sharply divided, with supporters crediting him for a speedy drop in violent crime and an enhancing financial system, whereas critics have denounced his racism, sexism and stance on the surroundings.

On Sunday the famed Mangueira samba faculty took intention on the nationwide rise in right-wing spiritual fervor and surge in police violence, in Rio particularly, in Bolsonaro’s first 14 months.

Mangueira’s tune included a line about “No messiah with a gun in his hand”, a reference to Bolsonaro, whose center identify is ‘Messias’ and who advocates extra widespread gun possession.

The costumes, floats and choreography of Rio’s samba faculty could change, however they’re all the time glowing and spectacular, usually taking all yr and over $2 million to place collectively.

Every year the highest 13 samba faculties parade via the Sambadrome in entrance of as much as 90,000 locals, vacationers and VIPs partying within the steep, concrete stands and hospitality suites that line the 700-meter (2,300-ft) venue.

The judges’ verdicts are introduced on nationwide tv on Ash Wednesday.

The 90,000-capacity Sambadrome was designed by revered architect Oscar Niemeyer and constructed in 1984.

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