The ecstasy of Carnival tends to linger in the tropical heat for weeks, but in 2020 it quickly evaporated, replaced by airborne plague. Then one of her traveling companions fell ill. Rio’s first confirmed coronavirus case came March 6: a 62-year-old woman returning from Italy. But watching the news, Brazilians glimpsed scenes of European despair. Was it really just February that the samba schools sashayed through the parade grounds with feather headdresses, dazzling tens of thousands of spectators?Īll of Rio was decked out in zany costumes, with cold beer soothing strained vocal cords and dance-weary ankles. Government neglect allowed a drug gang to take root.Īfter months of quarantine, those heady pre-pandemic days seem distant. Decades passed before basic services arrived, sometimes only after residents agreed to do the work themselves. Its name reflects its undesirable location: When first settled, the swampy area was said to be worth not even a vintem – the cheapest coin at the time, akin to a penny. Vila Vintem is home to more than 15,000 people. “We’re talking about saving lives, and our own lives.” This is a mission,” said Baracho, Unidos’ vice president, on April 8 as a team of seamstresses turned out medical gowns. “Carnival is a different kind of happiness, it’s playful and pleasurable.
Once again, one of Rio’s underserved communities pulled together rather than waiting for help from authorities that arrives late, if at all.
Experts worried that the dense neighborhoods would become hotbeds for contagion, pushing the public health system’s capacity past its breaking point. The virus was coursing through Rio, threatening its 6.7 million residents, almost one quarter of whom live in favelas like Vila Vintem.
0 kommentar(er)
