By Tyler Baker and Cecilia Ferreyra
Rio Carnaval 2024, the year where past, future and present collided to bring together a wonderful homage to Aninha Malandro, the CEO of the Los Angeles-based International Samba Congress (ISC). Aninha was not only chosen as the Princess of the Senior Court of the Rio Carnaval, but also the honouree of the fifth Passista Ball, an annual event of great significance for the samba community in Rio organized by “O Globo” personality Milton Cunha.
2024 is, for all intent and purposes, the year of Aninha Malandro. What was the journey that led Aninha to this very special honour? She explains in her own words:
“I was born into a family of sambistas, who loved and breathed the samba culture. My parents were passistas of the iconic Mangueira samba school, and they taught me how to dance and sing samba since I was a child. They also taught me the history and values of samba, such as community, joy, resilience, and solidarity.
However, as she grew up, she started to reject samba. Aninha wanted to fit in with her peers, who listened to other music genres and looked down on samba.
“I felt ashamed of my Afro-Brazilian roots, of my culture, and of my parents. I stopped going to the samba school, to the rehearsals, and to the Carnaval. I distanced myself from my family and from the samba community”, she said.
When she was 24, she left Brazil and moved to the United States, where she pursued a career in Psychology. Aninha thought she had left samba behind, but she soon realized that samba was still in her heart. Aninha missed the rhythm, the melody, and the lyrics of samba. She missed the energy, the emotion, and the connection of samba, and she missed her family, friends, and her identity.
That’s when Aninha met Pilar Leto, a dancer, choreographer, and producer who had performed and taught Brazilian, Caribbean, and Afro-Cuban. She was the one who encouraged her to teach samba, to share her passion and my culture with others.
Aninha decided to reencounter samba as a way of healing and reconnecting with herself. “My doctoral dissertation focused on the healing power of samba, and the ISC, happening every year since 2017, became a testament to this power. Furthermore, the ISC has a mission to showcase the wide variety of Afro-Brazilian dances, exposing students from Los Angeles and across North America to not only samba no pe but also frevo, samba de gafieira, samba de malandro, symbology of the orixas, and samba of the Black Blocos, add Aninha Malandro.
She explains that ultimately, it is about dispelling the stereotypes of feathers, bikinis and glitter to embrace, advance and bring awareness to the richness, heritage and ancestrality of AfroBrazilian culture.
Aninha also decided to use her skills and her platform as a psychologist in the United States to promote and defend samba, especially the cause of the passistas movement.
“I realized that the passistas are the essence and the soul of samba, but they are often marginalized and exploited by the media, the society, and the Carnaval industry. I wanted to change that, by giving voice and visibility to the passistas, by telling their stories, by celebrating their art, and by fighting for their rights”, comments Aninha. .
She is honored and grateful to be recognized and celebrated in Rio de Janeiro by the passistas, and commit to continuing the mission of advancing this art form and supporting the passistas to be recognized as the professional artists they are. As the Mangueira samba enredo says: “sambando, tocando e cantando se encontram passado, future e presente”.
* If you live in Southern California, we would like to suggest that you check our Events Page to see different Brazilian events, but also free general events. If you are a samba lover, join us in our Samba Group on Facebook
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