< Home < Photo Gallery > Individuals in Portrait
Picture #40 "Syncretism"/"concessão da Conceição" Before the era of modern blocos afro, an important genre of carnival clubs was the blocos de 'ndio. The indian in question was not the Brazilian indigene, but the "redskin" of Hollywood westerns. This young man belongs to one of the few such surviving blocos, the Apachés do Tororó (a district of Salvador). He stands here with a timbau drum, manufactured in São Paulo and made of synthetic materials, bearing a rather yankee looking eagle ensign which here is a symbol for the bloco. Behind the percussionist rises the imposing Church of the Conception (Conceição), important as the point of departure on the day of the march to the famous Bonfim Church in early January - considered the most classic syncretist religious celebration, as Nosso Senhor do Bonfim is Jesus and also Oxalá, the orixá comparable to the Greek Zeus.
Picture #41 "History is a cross to bear"/"não é só brincadeira" This little girl is dressed loosely as a *baiana. The multi-layered outfit of the baianas does not expose the belly, however; this liberty here is an adjustment for the comfort of this small person. The beads are blue and white, for the *orixá, Oxalá. While the baianas do wear beads (appropriate to their governing *orixá), the use here is more likely a take on the beads used by the Filhos de Gandhy. Religious beads can be bought cheaply and are often incorporated into costumes with purely aesthetic purpose. While our subject is probably not contemplating such niceties, she does seem to have something rather serious on her mind as she heads out for an afternoon of fun.
Picture #42 "Black Venus"/"lapidar o sonho" ou "Piaui" This girl has just spent the whole night walking to the town center as a member of the seminal *bloco afro, Ilê Ayê (see early cluster of photos on this group), and is exhausted. But carnival gives people energy. The bright afro-inspired costume uses red, yellow, white and black (symbolic of the African diaspora experience) and even at this hour still looks crisp. The title plays on that of an important book, Black Athena, by a white American scholar, Martin Bernal, which insists on the Egyptian derivation of much Greek art. Other scholars suggest that the pharaohs were black. These symbolic issues have been very important for black affirmation.
Picture #43 "Oliver + Sabrina"/"Tristão, Isolda" Oliver is an ambitious hairstylist who specializes in weaving. Going one step beyond typical afro styles (dreads, braids and extensions known as mega-hair), he works with glass beads and other objects, and his own head is the artist's most important canvas. His assistant and girlfriend, Sabrina, has bright colored cloth threads weaved by Oliver into her own braided hair. The inseparable couple are easily recognized, even in a crowd. Like its sister city, Los Angeles, Salvador is one of a handful of cities marked by a certain brash extrovertedness, a penchant for eccentric and high impact appearances.
Picture #44 "Cleaning lady and confetti man"/"capital cultural" A lady worker takes a moment to look on to events from a balcony, though we can't quite catch her expression in the shadow (though it is on the negative, the photographer swears!). She probably makes the minimum wage of $R 130-180 ($US 50 - 80) per month, virtually impossible to raise a family on. The glittery figure on the left is perfectly dressed for carnival, and has no budget problems, since he is only a doll. There are always two sides to carnival.
