Cathedralsofsamba

Invented in Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s, samba schools played, especially from the 1960s onward, a role of pedagogical vanguard in Brazil: presenting characters, themes, and episodes on the margins of Official History, the kind based on seemingly neutral accounts of great deeds, commemorative dates, and heroes of the pantheon.

The same samba schools that in the 1940s and 1950s limited themselves to speaking of the nation's honors, medals, and coats of arms took on a pioneering role from a certain point onward. A role that schools did not perform, the media ignored, and textbooks rarely addressed.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a festive parade. On the left, we see a woman dressed in an elegant, long gown, holding a decorated symbol. Beside her, other participants dressed in colorful costumes dance and interact. In the center, a large panel with the text "GUERRA DOS GUARARAPES" is mounted on an ornate structure. On the right, more people take part in the celebration, some wearing historical costumes. The background features buildings and trees, suggesting that the parade is taking place on an urban street.

When Fernando Pamplona's Salgueiro presented, inspired by a censored book by Edison Carneiro, Zumbi dos Palmares (Quilombo), in 1960, Zumbi was a character who didn't appear in Brazilian classrooms. The hero was Domingos Jorge Velho, the bandeirante who slaughtered the quilombola people. Chica da Silva and Chico Rei came on the same boat, bursting through in red and white, down the avenue, past the fence that kept them from reaching formal education.

In the avenues, the cabrocha Lili paraded her beauty at the Caprichosos de Pilares street fair, and the everyday hardship of a trip on the Central Line train, Japeri branch, was sung about by Em Cima da Hora. It was by listening to samba-enredo that many cariocas learned about the War of Canudos, the struggle of the caboclo Mitavaí against the monster Macobeba, the literature of Lima Barreto, the drama of the drought in the Northeast, the fabulous life of the pai de santo Hilário de Ojuobá. It was a samba school that spoke of Teresa de Benguela and the Quilombo do Quariterê, of the Confederation of the Tamoio Indians, of the narratives of the orixás, of the origin myths of the Carajás, of Dom Obá II, King of Africa and of the street corners of Rio de Janeiro, of Joãozinho da Goméia, the King of Candomblé.

Complex institutions in constant dialogue with the times, samba schools don't fit into ready-made molds. They have sung the official history, given in to the most outlandish sponsorships, praised the military regime, challenged the military regime, and portrayed the lives of dubious celebrities of the moment. At the same time, they have told the stories of those erased by certain versions of History, giving center stage to Zumbis, Conselheiros, Aimberês, and Teresas de Benguela. They have praised Luiz Gonzaga, the cordel poets, the umbanda caboclos, the orixás, the iabás, the Black Christ, the sainted prostitute, the mães de santo and mothers of samba.

Image description: The image is a photograph of a carnival parade featuring an elaborate float. At the center, there is a figure dressed in colorful attire, including green, gold, and blue, with metallic details. The figure stands elevated above two other characters lying on the ground, both wearing straw hats and clothing with vertical patterns. In the background, there is a wall with text and images, including a photo of a man and quotes in Portuguese. The colors are vivid and varied, with gold and green standing out.

Regarded by many as mere tourism-sector businesses, samba schools can and should be much more than that. They can also be powerful avant-garde cultural institutions; terreiros where the chant celebrated in drumbeat listens to the voice and the cry of life of those who, many times, sang through the crack the chance of a more generous Brazil.

For many people -- and we include ourselves in this group -- they vibrate with the spirituality of the city of Rio de Janeiro, singing of its wonders, its awe, its fates, its fortunes, and, at the turn of the drumhead, they call the wanderers of yesterday and of today to celebrate what is most sacred: the celebration.

Image description: This is a photograph of a nighttime procession with women dancing. The image is black and white. The women are wearing traditional costumes, with full skirts and straw hats. They are holding white parasols. In the background, there are buildings lit by streetlamps.