RIO DE JANEIRO — Literature and samba dancing don’t typically mix, but this year’s Carnival celebration in Rio de Janeiro broke tradition when two prominent samba schools chose to spotlight Black Brazilian women writers through their spectacular parade performances. The tribute shines light on authors who have long been overlooked because of their race and gender.
Seventy-nine-year-old author Conceição Evaristo, whose writings focus on the Black female experience in Brazil, rode proudly on a decorated float created by the Imperio Serrano samba school at Rio’s renowned Sambodrome on Saturday. Just two days afterward, the Unidos da Tijuca samba school centered their entire parade around Carolina Maria de Jesus, a diary writer from the favelas who passed away almost 50 years ago, while also featuring Evaristo.
“For Black women in Brazil everything is very difficult,” Evaristo explained while speaking from the school’s preparation warehouse. She described how the parade “presents other forms of knowledge that are born in Black communities” while celebrating Brazil’s diversity.
The samba tradition stems from Afro-Brazilian culture, featuring syncopated musical rhythms and dance. Each year, schools from economically disadvantaged areas invest months creating elaborate presentations with original songs, massive floats, and spectacular costumes for judged competitions during Carnival season.
These performances frequently incorporate social and political messages. This year’s events included Porto da Pedra’s advocacy for sex worker rights, while past celebrations have featured criticism of former President Jair Bolsonaro and brought attention to struggles facing the Yanomami Indigenous community.
Early Tuesday morning, Unidos da Tijuca’s dancers, performers, and drummers processed through the Sambodrome’s main pathway while music honoring de Jesus echoed throughout the venue. Literary themes dominated the floats and costumes, with books displayed in various colors, shapes, and sizes.
Official parade materials described the tribute as “an act of historical reparation,” noting that de Jesus passed away in poverty and obscurity in 1977.
Both honored authors emerged from modest circumstances. During the 1950s, de Jesus documented her daily challenges earning money and providing food for her three children while living in a Sao Paulo favela through diary entries.
According to the Instituto Moreira Salles museum’s dedicated website, her published diary has achieved sales exceeding one million copies since appearing in 1960.
Though some literary critics have characterized de Jesus’s writing as overly simple, Evaristo champions her distinctive approach.
“The Brazilian model cannot choose a single language model … based, for example, on European cultures,” stated Evaristo, whose celebrated publications include her 2003 novel “Poncia Vivencio,” which follows a Black woman’s journey from rural Brazil to urban life, and her 2014 short story compilation “Water Eyes.”
Actress Maria Gal, who represents de Jesus in an upcoming movie and participated in the parade, believes the late author’s emphasis on education, gender equality, and sustainable development keeps her message current in today’s Brazil.
“We are a country that often ends up forgetting our own history. And yet we have an incredibly rich cultural history. Carolina illustrates this very powerfully,” Gal explained.
Black women throughout Brazil continue experiencing institutional discrimination. Statistics show they face higher rates of poverty, illiteracy, and hunger compared to white women, while also encountering increased risks of gender-based violence.
Ana Maria Gonçalves made history last year as the first Black woman inducted into Brazil’s Brazilian Academy of Letters, the nation’s most elite literary organization. Despite this achievement, academic experts maintain that racial and gender prejudice continue shaping the academy’s legacy.
“I have no doubt about the fact that if Conceição Evaristo were a white man, she would already be a part of the Brazilian Academy of Letters,” observed Felipe Fanuel Xavier Rodrigues, who teaches literature at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
According to Rodrigues, these parade tributes represent meaningful political action. “Carnival suspends everyday rules, including those of a structurally racist society like ours. It’s when a crack appears.”
