Manaus Carnival becomes a political platform in an election year

Manaus (AM) — The sambadrome fills with color and excitement with the arrival of samba schools during the carnival parades in Manaus. In addition to delighting the public, the festival has a critical nature, addressing various themes, including political issues. In an election year, the party takes on characteristics and organizes the pre-election campaign.

Carnival culture, based on marchinhas, usually pays homage to or parodies political figures, which constitute positive or negative propaganda.

Political analyst Helso Ribeiro explains that this is not a uniquely Amazonian phenomenon. These cultural manifestations are aimed at politicians who are facing a new election. For this reason, reading between the lines contributes to a broader understanding on the part of the public, but there is no “thermometer” that balances the direction of the message.

“Sometimes this line is fine, because we don’t have a gauge of what is healthy and what is being promoted. Sometimes it is the result of popular irony and, I would say, this is little manipulated”,

score.

Among the sambas chosen by the samba schools in Manaus, four recreational samba schools (GRES) were directed to tell the story of parliamentarians: GRES Império do Hawaii, GRES Mocidade Independente do Coroado, GRES Acadêmicos da Cidade Alta and GRES Aparecida .

With the theme “Giant by nature itself: Abdala Fraxe — a cry from a Macuxi Indian echoes in the lands of Ajuricaba, by the people of the forest”, GRES Acadêmicos da Cidade Alta is an association founded in 2005, in the Educandos neighborhood, in the South Zone During this year’s carnival, the story of the state deputy and president of the Culture Commission of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Amazonas (Aleam), Abdala Fraxe (Avante), was highlighted.

“With great honor we will tell in verse and prose the story of Abdala Frase, a great supporter of Amazonian popular culture”,

stated the association in a post made on social media.

Representing the East Zone, GRES Mocidade Independente do Coroado presented the theme: “Anne Moura, Icamiaba, daughter of this floor”, in reference to the national secretary of women of the Workers’ Party, Anne Moura (PT).

The current president of Grêmio Recreativo, Lilian Cassia, highlighted the careful preparation to bring the honor to the secretary, who was born in the neighborhood. The main message proposes community unity as fundamental for strengthening.

“Being able to take the story of Anne Moura, daughter of Coroado and our friend, to the avenue, is very exciting for us, as a samba school, and for the Coroado community that joined the story and will be in force on the avenue”,

he said.

Anne Moura is a figure with growing strength in politics at municipal, state and national levels. At the launch of “Elas por elas”, the largest political training and inclusion project for women in Latin America, organized by the PT in April 2023, the secretary’s name was raised as a possible candidate for the municipal elections by the federal deputy of Rio de Janeiro Benedita da Silva.

GRES Império do Hawaii, which represents the Praça 14 neighborhood, Zona Sul, enters the avenue with the theme “Giant – You are the size of your dreams” and tells the story of the councilor and leader of the Brazilian Women’s Party (PMB) at the Manaus City Council (CMM), Ivo Neto.

The association’s president, Fabiano Alfaia, defended the positive expectations of “one of the best sambas this year”. The samba-plot emphasized the quest to make dreams come true, based on the story of the councilman who, as a child, promised his grandfather that he would join public power. Years later, he fulfilled his promise when he arrived at CMM, due to his social work aimed at children, young people and vulnerable families.

“We are all capable of dreaming and making our dreams come true. If God grants us a dream, it is because he knows that we have the capacity to realize it, just as it was in the life of Ivo Neto, today known as a giant of the South Zone for his social work. So, we want to tell everyone to dream, believe and achieve! Let’s dream!”

emphasizes.

The year 2024 is marked by the electoral dispute for CMM and City Hall. One of the names being considered to run for mayor is the state deputy and president of Aleam, Roberto Cidade (União Brasil). During Carnival, the trajectory of the deputy’s family was highlighted by GRES Aparecida, which represents the neighborhood of the same name.

According to the City’s press office, he will not be honored, but rather his family, represented by his grandparents, who lived in the municipality of Manicoré. “The idea of ​​the school is, through the Cidade family, to represent hundreds of other families who make their living from the rivers,” he said.

The 2023 Carnival champion is looking for her 25th title this year, with the storyline “Madeira is a witness. The forest, cradle, mourning and sweat, union for eternity. Aparecida comes to show the saga of the Cidade family.” In a post on social media, the association reported that the deputy’s family represents the “dream of caboclos, of riverside men and women” and of those who seek to change their own history.

Street carnival

The blocks also have a history of taking an active stance on issues relevant to society, such as the Banda do Boulevard, which takes place free of charge on Sunday (4), on Avenida Álvaro Botelho Maia, in the Nossa Sr.ᵃ das Graças neighborhood. With the theme “Maneca, Superchampion”, the block pays homage to professor Manoel do Carmo Chaves Neto, known as ‘Maneca’, for his work for the existence of Nacional Futebol Clube, in addition to having served as deputy and president of Aleam.

Banda do Gigante, by deputy Sinésio Campos (PT), has as its theme “There is no cutting here, only energy, peace, love and harmony”, will be held on the 12th, in the São José I neighborhood. plot was the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) of Amazonas Energia, the ‘CPI of Energy’, which was chaired by the parliamentarian, and investigated irregularities in the generation and distribution of electricity in Amazonas.

Traditional at Manaus Carnival, Banda da Bica takes to the streets with the theme “Bica grew up, became a Cultural Heritage Site and will make fun of Carnival”, on Saturday (3), at Armando’s bar, Centro. The festival takes place after the Law granted the title of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Amazonas to Bica and the bands Difusora and Boulevard.

“Let’s value the culture of our Amazonas! I bring this news to those who, like me, admire carnival and the cultural expressions of our land”,

declared the president of Aleam, Roberto Cidade, on social media.

Tributes to politicians

Political scientist Carlos Santiago explained that the festivity is financed by public resources, so tributes can “cause an imbalance in the electoral dispute”, in addition to the supervision being the responsibility of the Public Ministry of the State of Amazonas (MP-AM) and, if found illegalities, promote the necessary actions.

In response to demonstrations against politicians, the Public Ministry of the State of Amazonas (MP-AM) received a request from the Combating Corruption Committee, in November 2023, to investigate the use of public funds by samba schools that have a samba- plot aimed at politicians, above all, who signaled their possible participation in this year’s elections.

According to electoral law expert, Leland Barroso, there is no specific regulation that prohibits demonstrations against or in favor of politicians during the election year. What should be observed, in fact, is that you should not explicitly ask for a vote for a candidate.

“Electoral propaganda only starts on August 16th. There is no impediment to political support, the pre-candidate cannot donate gifts, this could constitute abuse of economic power”,

exemplifies.

“The practice is legitimate, but if electoral judges observe any action that they judge to be irregular, it may be suspended, due to the police power incorporated into the agents”, points out Barroso.

The coordinator of the State Office of the Ministry of Cultural in Amazonas, Michelle Andrews (PC do B), clarified that the use of these spaces has an impact on public opinion.

“Carnival, as a democratic space for freedom and expression, is crucial for telling stories and shaping perceptions about political figures. Thus, associations have the chance to present different perspectives, whether exalting or criticizing politicians, irreverently enriching the analysis of the political scenario”,

states.

Furthermore, the activist declared that carnival has a representative character for the black population, due to its pioneering spirit in giving visibility to culture, standing out in music by bringing different genres that enriched Brazilian cultural identity.

“It is crucial to highlight that carnival cannot be reduced to a mere advertising act by a personality seeking self-promotion. It must tell a story, have the essence of a narrative rich in cultural references, authentically combining with the carnival spirit”, he concludes.

The report from the In time contacted those mentioned in the article. Until publication, not everyone responded to the questions, but the space is open for future positions.

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