With bold lyrics and glittering costumes, Rio de Janeiro’s samba groups are turning the world’s biggest festival into a platform for protest against the violence and racism Black Brazilians face. After the pandemic shut what’s possibly the world’s biggest party down two years in a row, Carnaval is back in Rio and many other Brazilian cities, albeit out of season. Ana Ionova reports from Rio de Janeiro that some of the most famous samba groups are tackling racism, police violence and Black resistance as central themes in their parades today.