(10 Jan 2021) Despite Brazil's pandemic and the cancellation by city authorities of the annual Carnival, in Rio de Janeiro, one man has been determined to celebrate.
Dressed in carnival costume, with a boombox on his neck blaring music and handing out flowers to residents, he represents a welcome relief for residents of Santa Teresa seeking a little relief from the gloomy daily news about rising COVID infections and a faltering economy.
42-year old Anilson Costa would normally be preparing himself for the wild street parties that take place every year.
But with the party cancelled, he readjusted to a more modest, but still entertaining version of the colorful parades that delight residents and tourists during Carnival.
Blaring samba from a boombox and decked in a colorful costume, Costa lumbers down the streets of his neighborhood waving and passing out flowers to dancing onlookers.
"This pandemic was a period where we had to adapt many of our habits to survive. So I thought, why can't I adapt this fun, why can't I adapt a carnival party, that's when I had the idea," Costa said Sunday at his latest performance.
He has been staging a mini-Carnival every weekend since the beginning of the year, a way to lighten the mood during a grim time where Brazil has registered more than 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, with almost 27,000 in Rio.
"I think that the feeling is that, to reignite some hope, brings joy, affection, because things are very different for everybody," said Luana Karoo, while watching Anilson sway his way down the street.
Brazil's Federal Government announced last week the country will begin a nationwide vaccination program by February, which it hopes will bring the pandemic under control.
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