Some blocos played last weekend, and schedules of their unsanctioned performances are circulating widely on WhatsApp. But with daily COVID-19 deaths near-zero for over a month and the mask mandate lifted, people want to party. That idea ran counter to blocos’ freewheeling nature, plus some organizers expressed worry it was a further attempt to “privatize” Carnival by yoking them with corporate sponsorship. With the omicron variant spreading in January, Paes proposed blocos be relegated to enclosed, controlled spaces to check proof of vaccination upon entry. It was the first time in a century Rio’s pre-Lenten festivities were canceled, and Paes bestowed the city’s key to health workers instead of King Momo. Which is to say: a paradise for partiers, and a vector for viruses.īlocos had little desire to turn out last year as Brazil’s catastrophic second COVID-19 wave took shape. Crowds are densely packed, bottles are shared around and kissing is custom. In Carnival’s 2020 edition, just before COVID-19 reached Brazil, more than 7 million people partied in the so-called “Street Carnival,” according to city figures. Paes fired back on Twitter: “The correct thing is not having blocos! They aren’t authorized and we won’t have the structure for the party.” If he thinks there’s no problem, the right thing would be to free them with conviction.” “If he (Paes) thinks it can’t be done, isn’t possible, the coherent thing would be to prohibit it seriously. “Apparently prohibition didn’t make much sense, as the blocos bring the soul of carnival to the streets and are fundamental for the city’s spirit,” wrote Leo Aversa. On Tuesday, a columnist in the city’s main newspaper, O Globo, wrote that City Hall was washing its hands of policymaking duties by leaving blocos in legal limbo. “It’s hypocritical of the government to not give attention to other sectors.” But she is also a member of the troupe that will lead the reigning samba school champion, Viradouro, through the Sambadrome this year. “It’s important to be collectively pressuring the government, so Carnival is recognized and supported like it should be,” Karen Lino, 29, said while sporting a jaguar-print outfit that reflected her role as a dancer in the Friends of the Jaguar bloco. The euphoric protest was organized by Ocupa Carnival, a group which days earlier drafted a manifesto denouncing perceived attempts to commodify and repress blocos that was signed by more than 125 of them. On April 13, dozens of musicians marched through downtown blasting their horns, banging their drums and demanding to be heard. They insist celebrating Carnival isn’t contingent on authorities’ consent - not this year, nor any other. Since 2010, more than 150 blocos have refused City Hall’s institution of a registration process, with many viewing it as an attempt to formalize something inherently informal, Videira said. “They are important vehicles for the democratization of access to culture and access to the city,” Videira said.
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