Thank You World, Carnival and You conquered the Zica Outburst

Carla Daniele with 6-month-old son Victor in Foz do Iguaçu

Carnival in Brazil and everywhere else ended two weeks ago. And what I've got to say I will say it right now because otherwise time will make this thought incredibly old. I want to scream Thank you Brazil for not having canceled carnival 2016 because of the Zica Virus threat and explosion. Thank you World, because so many beautiful, brave people came in a time when all kinds of voices said that coming to Brazil would be dangerous. People came from Italy, from Portugal from the USA, from Canada, from Japan, Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, France, the UK from all over.Thank you, Gracias, Grazie.



Carnival in my city is very simple. This year the main carnival on a closed venue belonging to the Center of Gaucho Traditions (CGT / CTG in Portuguese. But we also had an afternoon carnival downtown called “Carnaval da Saudade” tentatively and roughly similar to Nostalgia Carnival which brigs to mind either that older people might use the occasion to remember past moments and carnivals. But I felt no melancholy in the air. I saw many 3-year-old, 6-months-old with whole families dancing or being danced out in the streets or under the canvas tent put up in the street that closed to traffic as the Brazilian Industrial Federation lamented the losses in productivity and counted lost billions. One or two day before that, it was reported that Zika could be found in the saliva and transmitted through kisses. Kissing, breathing, living, smiling – ‘cause with your mouth open mosquitoes and germs might be shot into your system. That is why I say and think that I should repeat: Thank You for coming to the carnival where nobody died as victim of the Aedes aegypti.                

Small children and even Wonder Woman

I would like to thank the 130,000 passengers of 13 cruise ships that lined up the Mauá Pier of Rio de Janeiro Harbor. In 2015, without the fear of zica only 70,000 came. A special thanks to journalists and the press. Organizers say that 1.282 Brazilian journalists were sent to the Avenida Sapucaí where the "sambodrome" is located. They work for 225 newspapers, radios and TVs from nine states.  Foreign press was represented by 287 press professionals from 111 international news producers. These are Rio de Janeiro numbers. I special salute to those who went to Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, São Luis and many other places.     

One of many Foz do Iguaçu organized Carnival Groups

No need to say look at the camera

Then the downpour but no one left