Culture and Identities of Black People in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo Carnivals on the Centenary of Slavery Abolition (1988)

Abstract

This article analyzes the representations of sambas-enredo (samba theme-songs) sung in the parades of the samba schools in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo during the carnival of 1988, the centenary year of the abolition of slavery in Brazil. The focus of this text is, therefore, to apprehend the narratives of Afro-descendants present in the representations that were exhibited by the different associations during the carnivals in these cities, making comparisons with the positions of the black movement during these events. It is also interesting to establish the differences and common elements, which were coined in these readings made by black people about their centenary trajectory after the abolition. In the narratives of sambas-enredo, the particular and universal aspects of identity (or new forms of negotiation of tension between the two dimensions) were articulated and reaffirmed for Afro-descendants, based on the link established between past and present. Finally, what motives for these questions become the group's strategies? For this article, different types of sources were researched, such as the lyrics of sambas-enredo, the synopses, the photographs and the videos of television broadcasts of the parades that allowed us to view the allegories displayed on the streets, in addition to the specialized bibliography that covers the universe of Afro-descendants, before and after the abolition of slavery.