Afródromo, a bid to reclaim the roots of Rio's street parades. The NYTimes reports:
More hereAfródromo would be a new carnaval circuit. Salvador already has two primary ones: the long-established circuit along the downtown streets of Campo Grande, and a newer and now more prestigious route along the beachfront boulevard, from Barra to Ondina beaches. Mr. Brown hopes that with an established parade ground of their own, the blocos afro could gain prime-time media attention and also work together on merchandising and other programs. Afródromo’s advocates say it would help Salvador’s carnaval reclaim its soul.
Lunae Parracho/Reuters
Salvador, with a welcoming Atlantic harbor, was the first capital of Brazil. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, until Brazil ended slavery in 1888, it was the largest port in the New World for the slave trade, and 80 percent of the city’s current population is Afro-Brazilian. “Bahia has been a profound cauldron for the world’s memories,” Mr. Brown said.
African-rooted rhythms propel much of Brazilian popular music. Yet the prime-time face of carnaval is almost entirely white. “It is a model that goes against cultural diversity,” said Albino Rubim, secretary of culture for the state of Bahia, who was attending the Afródromo parade. “It’s all related to business, to marketing, to sponsorship.” He added: “A carnaval without the blacks is a carnaval that loses its soul. And carnaval in Bahia today has lost a lot.”
