Infomediaire Morocco – The choice of Morocco and more specifically Marrakech as the theme of the 2017 carnival parade The independent Samba Mocidade school of Padre Miguel in Rio de Janeiro, is above all a hymn to the cultural and human diversity of the Kingdom, said André Luis Silva Junior, one of the contributors to the framework of this year’s parade, a sort of scenario around which the school show is built.
By choosing the theme “the thousand and one nights of a Mocidade towards Marrakech”, the Samba school “created the rapprochement between Brazil and Morocco and highlighted the diversity of the culture of this North African Kingdom while disseminating a message of peace and tolerance,” he indicated in an interview with the MAP agency, on the preparations of the Mocidade independente de Padre Miguel, in the running for the title of best Samba school of the year, alongside 11 other schools considered to be the elite of the Rio de Janeiro carnival.
“We had 4 theme ideas for this year: Morocco, Dubai, New York and Portugal. Following a rigorous selection process, the choice fell on Morocco,” said this former samba school judge, whose first contact with the Kingdom dates back to 5 years ago.
“The first time I visited Morocco was 5 years ago. During this trip as a tourist I was particularly touched by the beauty of Marrakech with its Jamaa El Fna square, its souks and its storytellers, I did not understand Arabic but I was charmed by this exotic and mysterious atmosphere,” says Silva Junior, also author of the plot of the previous year’s parade, noting that his travel memories guided his inspiration for the Mocidade parade which pays homage to Morocco and its natural, civilizational and identity riches.
This first trip was followed by a second visit in April 2016, which allowed him to visit various museums and monuments in several cities Moroccans like Rabat and Casablanca, for the sake of authenticity and attention to detail.
“La Mocidade was particularly inspired by Morocco and we decided to create a fable where the history of the Kingdom was told in the manner of the thousand and one nights”, hence the inclusion of the theme of the desert caravan, the camels, Sherazade and the magic lamp, explained André Silva, who did not fail to highlight the long-term work of all the members of the Samba carioca school in order to create from scratch this magical parade, where the Moroccan gastronomy of Morocco and its centuries-old history came to life through paintings rich in symbols and of great beauty.
source: infomediaire
