THE Samba Queens from Brazil, who were meant to be one of the main highlights of the inaugural Zimbabwe International Carnival, have cancelled their trip.
Entertainment Reporter
The Brazilians were expected in the country this week for the Zimbabwe International Carnival which kicks off today.
Organisers of the carnival, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), confirmed the development saying the Samba Queens would no longer be part of the carnival due to commitments in their country.
ZTA spokesperson Sugar Chagonda said: “Samba Night has been cancelled as the Brazillians will no longer be able to come for the Carnival.
“They have to prepare for the opening of the Fifa Confederation Cup in June in Brazil so they won’t make it.”
The Samba Queens would have been the main act at the Samba Night initially scheduled to take place at the Harare International Conference Centre tomorrow evening.
They were also expected to be part of the Carnival procession on Saturday.
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The Samba Night had been rated as a no under-18 considering that the Samba Queens’ outfits and dances are explicitly provocative, making them unsuitable for younger crowds. Samba is a South American sexually suggestive dance, popularised in Brazil.
The Brazilians’ absence at the carnival might come as a relief as their performance in Zimbabwe had raised a lot of eyebrows considering that the women usually parade in streets almost nude, clad in nothing more than feathers and paint only covering the essential body parts.
But for open-minded people, or those who have attended carnivals and appreciate them for what they are (public revelry, partying and festivities), the Brazilians absence at the inaugural carnival will be a major blow as Brazilians are usually show stoppers at carnivals.
Also, Brazil has one of the biggest and most well-organised carnivals in the world so their presence at the local carnival would have boosted the event.
ZTA chief executive Karikoga Kaseke pleaded with members of the public not to judge the organisers for the first carnival.
“The concept of carnivals is new to Zimbabwe despite the fact that they are held in many countries especially those that are serious about tourism. As we develop our concept and roll out the carnival, we are prone to make mistakes as we undertake the inaugural event, but we are ready to learn.
“This year we may not be 100% perfect, but as we continue to host the carnival on an annual basis, we hope that we will have a near perfect international carnival by any scale,” said Kaseke.
He added that people needed to support the carnival as it was a national event and people-driven as people make up the event.
