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The Carnival of Unidos da Tijuca Samba-School: Origins and History

In the culture of the Carnival in Brazil, samba-schools play a vital role, having established themselves as the center institution. In Rio de Janeiro, there are probably more than 100 samba-schools of different sizes. On this article, we will describe the emergence of "Unidos da Tijuca Samba-School", the third oldest samba-school in Brazil. The description of Unidos da Tijuca helps the understanding of the process of conception of a typical samba-school in Brazil, since other schools went through very similar historic paths. Like most samba-school founders, Unidos da Tijuca "fathers" aimed to defend the roots of traditional Brazilian folklore as well as to fight for popular causes. Fights that were always present on their ancestors' blood and soul, suffered and purged from the cultural expression that the loved and grew: the samba. Let´s see how the story of this samba-school helps in the understanding of the samba and Carnaval culture in Brazil.

Origins

Since the twentieth century, the hilly chain from Tijuca mountain ( later became a neighborhood ) in Rio, started to be inhabited by slaves, descendents and freed slaves that left the bankrupt coffee zone of the Paraíba Valley ( between Rio and São Paulo.) The wealthiest class that inhabited the Usina and Tijuca neighborhoods was fully decadent. It was during this time that Tijuca founder's families - the Moraes, the Chagas, the Santos and the Vasconcelos - got installed at the slum complex of "Borel" in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Guild was created from the merger of four street carnival groups that existed at the "Casa Branca" slum, "Formiga slum" and at Velhacos Island. In 1931, on December 31st, at the beginning of São Miguel Street's ascent, on number 130 house number 20, men and women gathered to found Unidos da Tijuca Samba-school.

The records show the samba-school's founders to be: Bento Vasconcelos (the leader), Leandro Chagas (organizer and disciplinarian), Alcides de Moraes (harmony director) and his brothers and cousins with their families, that composed school's basis: Jorge Vasconcelos, Pacífico Vasconcelos, João de Almeida, and Ismael de Moraes amongst others.

First Parades

At first, the samba-school paraded surrounded by a rope, with lamp carriers that lightened the Carnival procession. The resources for the parade were collected by neighborhood families, which contributed financially signing the old "golden book". At the time, Unidos da Tijuca Samba-School paraded with a six to eight sticks arbor, decorated with flowers, garlands and paper ornaments. In the front, samba-school members paraded dressed as animals: frogs, donkey and in 1936, year that they achieved the first place. The members made a reverence, opening passage through the people. The "baianas wing", dressed in cetin and cotton, paraded along the side of the guild in a wing with a cortege format, filling the spaces. Following that, came the mestre-sala ( Samba-Host ) and the porta-bandeira ( Flag-Bearer) and people forming the school's quire that supported the chant, all of the board of directors and school drum section with tambourines, cuícas, a surdo, a tarol, a viola and a cavaquinho, all recently created samba instruments.

During the 40's and 50's occurred a dissent and other guilds were founded, such as the extinct Estrela da Tijuca Samba-School and Recreio da Mocidade, and the still existing Império da Tijuca, all composed by old members of Unidos da Tijuca. The school went through a couple of internal crises and many difficulties and, in 1959, was demoted to the Second Group, suffering a great emptying.

School's restructuring On the 70's, the leaders of the Unidos da Tijuca began to turn this situation around searching for new people to regain school's prestige. With the advisement of the old members and the communication with the community, the guild improved significantly their results on the contests. During this period, other artists contributed to the rise of the school. Amongst them, Laíla (famous Carnival Producer from Beija-Flor), joined Unidos da Tijuca. Paulo César Cardoso presented one of the most modern and nationalist themes and Renato Lage (two respected Brazilian Carnival Producers) created fantastic sceneries, combining the traditional to the modern, being responsible for the rise of the school to the First Group in 1980, after remaining for 22 bitter years on the Access Group, in Rio Carnival Association.

However, during this decade, Unidos da Tijuca went through another difficult period and attended alternately the Access Group for another 2 years, in 85 and 87. The last time they were demoted was in 1998, when the presented a theme that made a tribute to the Portuguese voyager Vasco da Gama. From 2004 onwards, with the hiring of carnaval producer Paulo Barros, Unidos da Tijuca surprises and conquered the public and the press, guarantying its place amongst the first few placements, presenting every year magnificent and admirable Carnaval parades. The rescue of the self esteem of Tijuca neighborhood residents occurred; they started to believe more in their school, at the same time as their guild got new fans, beginning to be seen by all with the respect and recognition they deserved.

Since 2006 the guild began to perform a "technical rehearsal", in front of the old shed, at Venezuela Avenue in Rio, with the purpose to evaluate wing performances and rhythm. This initiative contributed greatly with the outcome of the parades. (Technical Rehearsal is a term given in the Brazilian Carnaval for a samba-school rehearsal that mimics the official parade during Carnival.)

Symbols and colors: It's not by chance that Unidos da Tijuca has the royal peacock as symbol and the blue and golden yellow as their colors. There are two stories that justify the adoption of this identification by the school.

It's been told that, at the time it was founded, the school adopted at first as symbol the shield represented by intertwined hands in union with coffee and tobacco branches, in referral to the neighborhood of old Tijuca, with its plantations. The colors golden yellow and peacock blue were adopted from the Casa de Bragança, colors used on the imperial court and that represent the proof of good taste on their clothing. Both symbol and colors, assigned as suggestions of Bento Vasconcelos, one of Unidos da Tijuca's main founders.

Another theory registers that in 1931, on the bottom of the slum of Borel, there was a large cigarette, tobacco and Borel Snuff Co. factory. The striking figure of the royal peacock, in blue and golden yellow, was stamped on the package of some of their products. On the 31st of December of that same year, near there, on the beginning of São Miguel Street, local and nearby residents founded the Unidos da Tijuca, adopting the peacock as symbol and the colors in reference to that company's logo. However to include the peacock as symbol of Tijuca on the opening wing float there's another story told: in 1983, between the months of august and September, during the samba theme dispute for 1984's carnaval, the school was preparing themselves to open the Special Group's parade, launching this way the Sambadrome. The peacock was already school's flashy symbol with the colors of the guild in t-shirts with that year's theme advertised "Salamaleikum, a epopéia dos insubmissos males". It also has been told that the samba composer Carlinhos Melodia suggested to the President at the time Luis Carlos Cruz that a peacock should be placed on the opening wing because while the others schools had birds and other flashy animals, calling the public's attention, the old school symbol (to intertwined hands surrounded by branches of coffee and tobacco, with the letters UT, abbreviation of Unidos da Tijuca) brought a meaning of suffering and resistance. From this point onwards, given the composer's suggestion, Unidos da Tijuca substituted the previous symbol and in 1984, entered for the first time the avenue with a peacock as major symbol.

Unidos da Tijuca, like most schools, has evolved tremendously in terms of structure and professionalism, achieving two 2nd places over the last five years. The school innovated and became known for being the first to present choreography performers mounted in floats, establishing what is now called as "human sculptures" on the carnival parade. Financial and organizational developments led Unidos da Tijuca to remain part of the elite club of samba-schools in Rio, which include legendary Mangueira, Beija-Flor, Portela, and Mocidade Samba-Schools. Honoring its multi-cultural background with Portuguese, Brazilian, and indigenous influences, the samba-school from the traditional Tijuca neighborhood in Rio is now known Brazil wide too because of its famous models and samba celebrities such as Adriane Galisteu and Fábia Borges. As most samba-schools in Rio de Janeiro, Unidos da Tijuca went through a tough period of professionalization which not only kept it alive, but gave strength for a new era. Today, in the Carnival of Brazil ( and also samba scenario ), there are no more spaces for amateurs, and most participants have realized that the world´s largest show, could only continue with its magic with new rules and challenges whom of which samba-schools have contributed definitively.

About the Author

Andre Skowronski is lover of the Brazilian music & managing partner of http://www.brazilcarnival.com.br. He created the 1st local site in English entirely devoted to Rio

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