Bianca Monteiro, 37 years old, queen of drums at the Portela Samba School, created the Paulo da Portela Arts School five years ago, a free project that offers art classes in Portelinha, in Madureira, in Rio de Janeiro's north zone. The school primarily serves residents of surrounding favelas, such as Serrinha and Cajueiro.
The inspiration for the project arose from the realization that, after carnival ends, the grandstands empty out and many people return to their communities. Bianca reports that people from outside benefit from carnival, earn money from the work of samba dancers, and appear in soap operas, while they return to the reality of their communities.
According to Bianca, the samba people pass by on the street and are not remembered, living within their communities and working to survive. The Paulo da Portela Arts School seeks to offer free alternatives for artistic training to these residents.
