Os sambas-enredo das escolas de samba do carnaval de Salvador

Abstract

The Salvador Carnival of the 20th century featured a great diversity of cultural and festive manifestations, such as batucadas, blocos, trios, and samba schools, among others. These schools began their official parades in the 1960s and remained active until the early 1980s. Juventude do Garcia, Filhos do Tororó, Ritmistas do Samba, Bafo da Onça, and Diplomatas de Amaralina were among the main carnival groups that performed in the city center, bringing samba, as well as elaborate costumes, floats, and unique choreography to their parades. Maintaining constant exchanges with Rio de Janeiro’s samba schools while being deeply connected to the specificities of Salvador’s carnival, these groups brought together hundreds of people, including artists, revelers, and admirers. Reproducing practices historically renowned in Rio de Janeiro’s black communities, these groups—formed by residents of Salvador’s predominantly Black neighborhoods—presented several original sambas-enredo during rehearsals, contests, and carnival performances in the city center. The revelers and artists who participated in these groups contributed to the cultural landscape of Bahia’s capital by presenting thematic performances related to Bahia itself, Brazilian history, samba, Black identity, and other subjects. The artistic productions of these schools established a connection between the history and development of Rio de Janeiro’s samba and Salvador’s popular artistic expressions, which gained prominence during and after the carnival festivities. This thesis examines the artistic and symbolic contributions of Salvador’s samba schools through interviews, photographs, reviews, lyrics, and other sources, with a particular focus on the sambas-enredo created by the city's popular revelers. These artistic contributions, especially the production and popularization of sambas-enredo, played a crucial role in shaping the social history of samba and samba culture in Salvador, significantly influencing the history of both Salvador’s and Brazil’s carnival traditions. Keywords: Culture; Samba; Carnival.