Renata

o understand the Rio samba schools, you have to understand where the schools come from — poor, marginal communities, mostly in the favelas, or shantytowns, of the city. The schools' annual displays cost millions of dollars — a combustible mix of money and poverty, says Aydano Motta, a journalist and author who has written extensively about Rio's samba schools. As she puts it, the Carnival brings both joys and woes to its participants. “The image of a woman in Carnival is very complex, not just for those on the ‘inside’ but for the people on the ‘outside’ as well. An image of brilliance, happiness and joy in contrast to poverty and misery.