- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
- 'Unspeakable horror': the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- Christian villagers 'trapped' in south Lebanon crossfire
- Sabalenka sets up Gauff showdown in Wuhan semis
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Kim Sei-young holds lead with late birdies at LPGA Shanghai
- Toulouse welcome Dupont 'boost' as Olympic star returns to Top 14
- Japanese atomic bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo wins Nobel Peace Prize
- Deadly Israeli strike on Beirut likely targeted Hezbollah security chief
- Bangladesh Islamist chief backs crimes against humanity trial for ex-PM
- Everest climber's remains believed found after 100 years
- 20 Pakistan coal miners shot dead in attack
- Clashes on South China Sea, Ukraine dominate Asia summit
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Zelensky meets Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- Hello Hallyu: why is South Korean culture sweeping the globe?
- UK economy rebounds in August in boost to new govt
- Voice of Japan's beloved robot cat 'Doraemon' dies
RIO | 0.67% | 67.293 | $ | |
BTI | 0.21% | 35.185 | $ | |
BP | -0.48% | 32.185 | $ | |
GSK | -1.15% | 38.765 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.32% | 24.67 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.03% | 59.49 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.6% | 24.919 | $ | |
RYCEF | 1.71% | 7 | $ | |
AZN | 0.43% | 77.205 | $ | |
NGG | 0.88% | 66.26 | $ | |
SCS | 2.06% | 12.865 | $ | |
RELX | 1.04% | 46.845 | $ | |
VOD | -1.03% | 9.641 | $ | |
JRI | 0.3% | 13.26 | $ | |
BCC | 1.77% | 141.459 | $ | |
BCE | 0.56% | 33.045 | $ |
Rio carnival group pays tribute to wronged hero of black history
Decked out in sequin-studded splendor or simple shorts and flip-flops, the Brazilian revelers are all smiles as they samba in the summer night, the alcohol flowing, music thumping and glitter sparkling.
But, as is often the case at Rio de Janeiro's famed carnival, the story contained in their song is sobering, traumatic and heavy with the weight of history.
This is one of the final rehearsals of Paraiso do Tuiuti, one of 12 samba schools that will compete in Rio's legendary carnival parade contest Sunday and Monday nights.
Each sumptuous, flesh-flaunting parade tells a story. This year, Tuiuti's is a tribute to Joao Candido, a sailor in the Brazilian navy who led a revolt in 1910 against the slave-like conditions blacks endured serving aboard their nation's ships.
The "Whip Revolt" is an often-overlooked episode in Brazilian history. But the racism and injustice Candido fought still linger in today's Brazil, say Tuiuti paraders.
"We still suffer discrimination... It's a very slow process," says Simone Soares do Nascimento, a 47-year-old cook and nutrition student.
"But we're here living life, being happy," she adds with a smile framed by shiny sequins.
- 'The Black Admiral' -
Born to former slaves in 1880, Candido joined the navy at 14.
Brazil had only abolished slavery in 1888, and black servicemen, often conscripted by force, were poorly fed, poorly paid and brutally punished.
Overcoming prejudice, Candido distinguished himself as a helmsman.
In 1909, he was sent to Britain for training on operating two new battleships bought by Brazil.
The 20,000-tonne "dreadnoughts" were cutting-edge military technology.
But modernizing the navy only fueled black sailors' frustration at their retrograde treatment.
After a sailor on Candido's ship was punished with 250 lashes in November 1910 -- making his back look like "a gutted fish," in one white officer's words -- more than 2,000 blacks mutinied, choosing Candido as their leader.
Earning the nickname "The Black Admiral," Candido seized four ships and pointed their cannons at Rio.
"We will no longer tolerate slavery in the Brazilian navy," the rebels wrote then-president Hermes da Fonseca.
- 'My dad suffered' -
After four tense days, the government agreed to abolish whipping, and promised the mutineers an amnesty.
But after they relinquished the ships, the navy reneged, detaining or executing them.
Candido and 30 others were thrown in a small cell. Conditions were so bad only he and one other prisoner survived.
He spent the rest of his life in poverty.
Since Candido's death in 1969, Brazil has reevaluated his legacy.
In 2008, the government granted him a posthumous amnesty and erected a statue in his honor in Rio.
But the military has fought efforts to make amends for his treatment.
In November, federal prosecutors brought a case demanding the navy pay damages to Candido's family.
"My dad suffered a lot in his life. I just want him to get the recognition he deserves for his place in Brazilian history," Candido's son Adalberto, 85, told AFP.
- The past isn't dead... -
Adalberto, the last survivor of Candido's 11 children, will parade with Tuiuti Monday night.
Hinting at the relevance of the "Whip Revolt" more than a century later, the role of Candido will be played by a black delivery driver named Max Angelo dos Santos, who made headlines last year when a white woman in an upscale neighborhood was filmed whipping him with a dog leash.
Slavery's scars remain visible in Brazil, where 56 percent of the population is black or mixed-race.
Blacks earn about half as much as whites on average, have lower life expectancy and face frequent discrimination in the country of 203 million people.
Beyond being a giant party for people of all colors, origins and walks of life, Rio's carnival, fueled by the Afro-Brazilian beats of samba music, is also an art form uniquely suited to explore such problems.
Julio Araujo, the lead prosecutor on the case seeking reparations for Candido's family, says carnival doubles as a forum for national soul-searching.
"I and lots of other people have learned so much about Brazil's history -- and its unofficial history -- from watching the samba school parades," he told AFP.
"It fuels a conversation that transcends those 70 minutes."
M.Thompson--AMWN