Capitães de Areia

EXCERPT – THE HISTORY OF TRIO ELÉTRICO

Since the days of colonialism there have been celebratory carnival days in Brazil!
The parade of the samba schools is the most important event at the carnival of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Salvador and Recife/Olinda are the centres of the street carnival.

The Development of the Street Carnival

Around 1879, the first carnival associations were founded in Salvador. Their uniformed members participated in public dances. These dances took place in the streets, which had been particularly decorated for this occasion. In 1884, the carnival club, “Cruz Vermelha”, was the first to introduce the carnival truck, “carro de ideia” (truck of ideas). The Afro-Brazilians wanted to publicly present their cultural roots, so they formed groups, made up of neighbours and colleagues from work, to prepare for the carnival festival together. The elite (of whites) at the carnival didn’t last for long, and moved to private clubs, while the streets were taken over by the black lower classes.
Within a very short time the carnival had become an occasion for the Afro-Brazilians to bring elements of their heritage onto the street. The carnival association “Embaixada Africana” (African Embassy) was founded in 1895. The carnival club took part in the parade, wearing magestic robes and with a king at the front. The Embaixada, which saw itself as a representative of Africa, paraded through the streets of Salvador, blowing fanfares and riding trucks imported from Europe. But the Afro-Brazilian customs shown during the carnival were publicly criticized by the white classes and from 1902 onwards, intolerance intensified. In 1905, the Afro-Brazilian carnival clubs were outlawed. Many decided to ignore the ban and sought ways to work around this restriction. The groups, for instance, gave themselves other names. The reprisals from the police became evermore severe up to 1914.

In the aftermath elements and cultural values of the Afro-Brazilians were adopted more and more by other carnival groups. Samba, developed in and also influenced by the city of Rio de Janeiro became the carnival music par excellence. In 1936, samba schools could legally participate in the carnival. There was a thematical restriction to Brazilian history as a theme of the samba schools and their music,

whereas political themes were prohibited. In 1940, the samba schools could even parade on the “avenidas” in the centre of Rio…