Soul Brasil Magazine Issue 122

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Community/Comunidade (3)the orixas, and samba of the Black Blocos, addAninha Malandro.She explains that ultimately, it is aboutdispelling the stereotypes of feathers,bikinis and glitter to embrace, advance andbring awareness to the richness, heritageand ancestrality of AfroBrazilian culture.The Journey to Recognitionfor Years of Helping toSpread Samba in the USARio Carnaval 2024, the year wherepast, future and present collidedto bring together a wonderfulhomage to Aninha Malandro, the CEOof the Los Angeles-based InternationalSamba Congress (ISC). Aninha was notonly chosen as the Princess of the SeniorCourt of the Rio Carnaval, but also thehonouree of the fifth Passista Ball, anannual event of great significance for thesamba community in Rio organized by “OGlobo” personality Milton Cunha.2024 is, for all intent and purposes,the year of Aninha Malandro. Whatwas the journey that led Aninha to thisvery special honour? She explains inher own words:“I was born into a family of sambistas, wholoved and breathed the samba culture.My parents were passistas of the iconicMangueira samba school, and they taughtme how to dance and sing samba since I wasa child. They also taught me the history andvalues of samba, such as community, joy,resilience, and solidarity.However, as she grew up, she started to rejectsamba. Aninha wanted to fit in with her peers,who listened to other music genres andlooked down on samba. “I felt ashamed ofmy Afro-Brazilian roots, of my culture, andof my parents. I stopped going to the sambaschool, to the rehearsals, and to the Carnaval.I distanced myself from my family and fromthe samba community”, she said.When she was 24, she left Brazil and movedto the United States, where she pursued acareer in Psychology. Aninha thought she hadleft samba behind, but she soon realized thatsamba was still in her heart. Aninha missed therhythm, the melody, and the lyrics of samba.She missed the energy, the emotion, and theconnection of samba, and she missed herfamily, friends, and her identity.That’s when Aninha met Pilar Leto, a dancer,choreographer, and producer who hadperformed and taught Brazilian, Caribbean,and Afro-Cuban. She was the one whoencouraged her to teach samba, to share herpassion and my culture with others.Aninha decided to reencounter sambaas a way of healing and reconnecting withherself. “My doctoral dissertation focusedon the healing power of samba, and the ISC,happening every year since 2017, became atestament to this power. Furthermore, the ISChas a mission to showcase the wide varietyof Afro-Brazilian dances, exposing studentsfrom Los Angeles and across North Americato not only samba no pe but also frevo, sambade gafieira, samba de malandro, symbology ofAninha also decided to use her skillsand her platform as a psychologist inthe United States to promote and defendsamba, especially the cause of thepassistas movement.“I realized that the passistas are the essenceand the soul of samba, but they are oftenmarginalized and exploited by the media,the society, and the Carnaval industry. Iwanted to change that, by giving voice andvisibility to the passistas, by telling theirstories, by celebrating their art, and byfighting for their rights”, comments Aninha.She is honored and grateful to berecognized and celebrated in Rio deJaneiro by the passistas, and commit tocontinuing the mission of advancing thisart form and supporting the passistas tobe recognized as the professional artiststhey are. As the Mangueira samba enredosays: “sambando, tocando e cantando seencontram passado, future e presente”.Aninha Malandro: Princess of the SeniorCourt of Rio’s Carnaval 202430 Soul Brasil Magazine © • Issue 122 • Mar 15 / Apr 2024 • Year 21 • www.soulbrasil.com
Claudia Passos - photographer @ 310-5929198Since 2002 Building an Imaginary Cultural BridgeBetween the U.S and Brazil!MAGAZINE • WEB • VIDEOEnglish and PortugueseBrazilianMediain the U.S“Go Green”PioneerWWW.SOULBRASIL.COMSCANTO GETCONNECTEC
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Soul Brasil Magazine Issue 122

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