Vibrant street parties will unite the nation for a few days – but as elections loom,discontent is growingAs the samba drums began pounding in the late afternoon sun in a well-kept, unassuming Rio suburb, and a woman in a flowing,sparkly pink skirt, glittering corset and feathered headpiece moved with the rhythm, and raised an embroidered banner with the name of the street party – and the carnival madness began.
Literally,in the case of this bloco, as the thousands of free parties that throng streets across Brazil are called. Its name is Loucura Suburbana (Suburban Madness) and among the hundreds rattling out hypnotic percussion or dancing in colourful costumes were doctors, or patients and friends of the Nise da Silveira municipal institute – a public mental health hospital.
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Source: guardian.co.uk