Rio Carnival 2027: Vila Isabel stages 'Torto Arado' and Tuiuti honours Tia Ciata

Unidos de Vila Isabel will present a 2027 parade themed on the novel *Torto Arado* by Itamar Vieira Junior. Carnaval designers Gabriel Haddad and Leonardo Bora, with researcher Vinicius Natal, re‑imagined the story for the Sambadrome, using the character Santa Rita Pescadeira as the sole narrator to trace a family’s struggle for land and quilombola rights.

Paraíso do Tuiuti’s 2027 samba school will centre its enredo on Tia Ciata, the Afro‑indigenous matriarch who helped preserve samba during Brazil’s early 20th‑century repression. Carnaval director Renato Lage said the school will explore the history of Pequena África, Rio’s transformation, and Ciata’s lasting influence on the city’s carnival culture.