Paraíso do Tuiuti announced, this Friday (5), that it will have the story of Xica Manicongo, considered the first transvestite in Brazil, as the plot for its parade at Carnival in 2025.
Xica was brought from Congo to be enslaved in Salvador in the 16th century and refused to wear clothes linked to the male wardrobe of the time. Documented as a homosexual man, the African woman had her story reread and was classified as a transvestite by black activist Majorie Marchi. Since then, Manicongo has been embraced by the transvestite and transsexual community as a symbol of resistance.
The announcement was applauded by federal deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP), the first transsexual elected to the National Congress alongside Duda Salabert (PDT-MG), in 2022.
“Xica had her history erased for centuries, and the rescue of her memory is also the strengthening of LGBTQIA+ people in the face of those who, to this day, want to see us at the stake”, declared the parliamentarian, leader of her party's bench in the Chamber of Deputies.
🏳️⚧️ WHO’S AFRAID OF TRANSVESTIS?
Today began happily with the news that the samba school Paraíso do Tuiuti, from Rio, will have the title of its 2025 samba theme “Who is afraid of Xica Manicongo?”.
Xica Manicongo, considered the first non-indigenous transvestite in Brazil,… pic.twitter.com/LeCpLaYcO2
— ERIKA HILTON (@ErikakHilton) April 5, 2024
The association of São Cristóvão, a neighborhood in the central region of Rio de Janeiro, will once again have Jack Vasconcelos as a carnival worker. The artist returned to school for Carnival 2024, when he created a plot in honor of João Cândido, after passing through Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel and Unidos da Tijuca.
Together, Jack and Tuiuti held the biggest parade in their history in 2018, with “My God, my God, is slavery extinct?”, a runner-up parade in that Carnival that highlighted the slavery legacy in labor relations in Brazil and criticized the recent -Approved Labor Reform.
“Anyway, you’re going to wear your skirt in Sapucaí, sister! How long have we been waiting for this, right sister? Everything has its time and it has arrived”, wrote the carnival artist in the caption of a post made on his Instagram account.
The launch will be celebrated on Friday night (5) at Paraíso do Tuiuti's 72nd birthday party. Tickets for the event, which will feature performances from several other samba schools, cost R$60 and are on sale at Guichê Web website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
