Brazilian Carnaval is not only known for transforming the streets of the country into a massive and colorful party, it is also a very political celebration, with songs and costumes that often poke fun at — or downright decry — people in power.
This year’s biggest example of this dynamic came in São Paulo, amid the city’s samba school competition. Traditional school Vai-Vai, which has one more Carnaval titles than any other in São Paulo, provoked an intense debate after it used a part of its 2024 parade to (quite literally) demonize the state’s military police force.
As part of its parade wing entitled “Surviving In Hell” (the name of a hit album from influential São Paulo rap group Racionais MC’s), the school depicted military riot police as devils, complete with horns and wings.
Vai-Vai claims that its intention was not to insult the police, but to portray the historical context in which the Racionais MC’s album was written — in the 1990s, public security forces were particularly violent toward marginalized populations in São Paulo, a problem which still exists today, albeit to a less extreme extent.
But Vai-Vai’s costumes caused outrage among several parts of society, no more than from São Paulo’s police officers themselves. The São Paulo state police union called it a “vile and cowardly” way to depict professionals who “dedicate themselves, day and night, to protecting society and fighting crime.” Right-wing politicians endorsed these complaints.
São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas said he would give the costumes a “zero out of ten,” while the city mayor, Ricardo Nunes, said he will look into potentially punishing Vai-Vai.
Meanwhile, the counter-criticism claims that those responsible for demonizing the military police is the corporation itself, with its poor record of violence and excessive use of force.
Check out the creation of this cartoon on The Brazilian Report’s TikTok account (@brazilianreport).
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