RIO DE JANEIRO, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Rio samba school Estacao Primeira de Mangueira, one of the oldest samba schools in the city, won the Carnival championship on Wednesday for its float questioning Brazilian history as taught in schools.
Mangueira dedicated its performance to Brazil's forgotten heroes while challenging school curriculums, which often minimizes the contribution and importance of native populations and enslaved Africans in the formation of Brazil.
In the parade, Mangueira paid homage to indigenous and black leaders and deconstructed prominent figures such as Princess Isabel, who signed a law liberating slaves in the 19th century, and the Duke of Caxias, a military leader in the 19th century who was named the patron of the Brazilian Army.
The group also paid tribute to Marielle Franco, a slain city councilwoman and human right activist. Franco, a black woman raised in a Rio slum, was elected for the Rio city council in 2016 and was murdered last year.
