Mayor to keep cuts in funding earmarked for Rio samba schools

In a statement made today (Jun 19), Rio de Janeiro Mayor Marcelo Crivella said that the cuts in the funding earmarked for the city's top samba schools in 2018 will be kept unchanged. He says the budget crisis makes it impossible for him to go back on the decision.

Crivella was taking part in the inauguration ceremony of a large graffiti work at a local public school downtown.

According to RIOTUR, the state-controlled agency for tourism in charge of Carnival-related activities, the samba schools will be given $3.96 million for next year. The amount is lower than that of last year, but close to that of previous ones. In 2016, then Mayor Eduardo Paes had doubled the amount to $7.31 million.

“I'm not going back on this. I'm pressed by circumstances. What we're doing is return to the usual budget from the previous years. Last year we faced a moment of euphoria, but here's what happened, just look at the crisis being brought to debates all over Rio de Janeiro,” he said.

Representatives form RIOTUR and LIESA—the non-governmental association formed by the city's main samba schools—are to meet this afternoon (19) to discuss the matter.

After the cuts were announced early last week, LIESA wrote on Facebook Wednesday (14) that no parades would be held by the city's top samba schools in 2018.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira