Samba project led by Navy transgender woman in the spotlight at Rio Carnival

RIO DE JANEIRO: A group of Brazilian transgender women have been learning samba in the last few months as they prepare to take the stage at the world-renowned Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro in March.

The women will lead the last section of the parade for samba school Paraiso do Tuiuti, which this year will tell the story of Xica Manicongo, known as the first transgender woman in Brazil. Manicongo was captured in the region of the Congo Basin and enslaved in Brazil in the 16th century.

Leading the project is Bruna Benevides, president of the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals and a sergeant in the Brazilian Navy.

Tuiuti, she said, was “coming out in defense of the trans community.”

“When we thought of the project and presented it to the school, to the Carnival director and the people who were in charge, it was a way of saying, look, this group of transvestites, these people that we’re talking about, they need special care.”

Conan O’Brien says Oscars can’t avoid politics but won’t dwell on it

“For me, Carnival has always represented a place of freedom, of being able to play with what we don’t normally play with on a day-to-day basis,” she added as she looked through a rack of brightly colored and sparkly outfits at a Carnival costume outfitters.

Paraiso do Tuiuti is one of 12 samba schools that compete in Rio’s enormous and elaborate yearly Carnival parade, often referred to as “the best show on earth.” Each school creates a story, told in song and costumes, for the parade, which is watched by thousands in the stadium and broadcast live on television to an audience of millions.

This year’s event takes place from March 2 to March 4.