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Rio's samba scene struggles to find a tune after Covid-19 batters Brazil

Nicilda da Silva, 80, who was elected queen of the Porto da Pedra samba school, wears her 'Baiana' costume [Photo: Pilar Olivares]

After months of coronavirus-induced inactivity, Rio de Janeiro’s legendary samba scene is tentatively tiptoeing back to life, offering a sliver of hope to those whose livelihoods depend on the traditional Afro-Brazilian musical genre. The small crowd gathered to hear Moacyr Luz, one of the city’s most well-known samba stars, sing the “Worker’s Samba” at a recent event in Rio highlighted the difficult new reality: social distancing, no dancing, patchy attendance.

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