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Brazil's political carnival

In the midst of the country’s haunting political crisis, more than ever before Carnival in Brazil has become an occasion for criticism, parody and political caricature . Español Português

By Eduarda Fontes
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Papangus_no_Carnaval_de_Olinda_-_Olinda,_Pernambuco,_Brasil_0.jpg
Papangus_no_Carnaval_de_Olinda_-_Olinda,_Pernambuco,_Brasil_0.jpg

Dance troupe at Carnaval in Olinda. Source: Wikimedia Commons. All Rights Reserved.

Brazil has been portrayed in the Anglo-American world as either one of the BRICS countries, emphasising its rising power status, or as the country which most colourfully and exuberantly celebrates its Carnival.

Now that the country is in the midst of a political and economic crisis, you would have thought that it can always count on Carnival to fall back on as a relief - that 4-day period in which, every year, people set aside all their troubles and forget about all the issues and constraints of their everyday life. Well, no. Not this year.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0