Carlinhos Brown creates a carnival group for Black people in Salvador.

Sul 21 - Musician Carlinhos Brown launched a project that is generating controversy in Salvador. The "Afródromo" debuted this Carnival, even without the support of the city hall, with the intention of bringing together the main Afro-Brazilian Carnival groups of Salvador, with the exception of Olodum, in an exclusive official circuit. Mayor ACM Neto (DEM) said he would not be able to cover the logistics of the new circuit, and Carlinhos Brown put the bloco (carnival group) on the street this year with the support of breweries.

The debut took place this Sunday (10) bringing together 6 thousand members. The Afro blocks are mostly made up of black people, who play percussion, use floats and wear costumes instead of the abadá of the axé trios. For Brown, emancipation would be the best way, in search of better times and more visibility on TV, while Olodum and smaller Afro entities -not invited to the “Afródromo”- say that “fleeing to a ghetto” will only increase the “carnival apartheid”.

Before the parade began at 13 p.m. (Brasilia time), Brown said there were no hard feelings “with the city hall or anyone.” However, in this year's festival, he will not lead his bloco (carnival group), Camarote Andante, nor will he promote the so-called “Arrastão” (street parade) on Ash Wednesday. The creator of Timbalada also said that the Bahian Carnival has no social inequality and that “it's not Mantega [Guido, Minister of Finance] who needs to distribute income. It's us. We're doing it ourselves.”