Turma da Paz de Madureira samba school, or Group of Peace from Madureira, is the first women-only samba group in Brazil. Under the sweltering sun of a February afternoon in a neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, I meet with the women who form this school as thy rehearse for a parade. Talking to the women there, they tell me of how they are not taken seriously by men. Samba schools are historically male led and by protocol must include two men as masters of ceremony. The women see the act of performing as resisting the patriarchal society of Brazil and empowering themselves.
February 2023
Sophia Berger 