TOWER' WIDOWS: CULTURAL STRENGTHENING IN A CARNIVAL BLOCK IN JOÃO PESSOA-PB

Abstract

The Tower´Widows carnival block is an annual tradition in the Torre neighborhood of João Pessoa-PB, with more than 30 years of history. As a popular participation bloco, it translates a festive celebration that goes beyond the carnival period, offering opportunities to witness the social interactions present both in the carnival context and in the routine of preparing for the party period, especially its organization and the multiple relationships involving the group and other sectors of the city and the neighborhood that hosts it: Torre. In this sense, the central question of this article is to understand how the Bloco Viúvas da Torre uses and transforms its urban environment to create a space for cultural expression, social interaction and symbolic meanings during Carnival. Through a structured interview with its organizer, Jairo Pessoa, and direct observation of the festival to understand its festive atmosphere, we analyzed the event's relationship with local dynamics (Canclini, 2013); the bloco's dialogue with other festive expressions to understand social interactions (Wirth, 1967); the forms of festive sociability in that urban environment (Magnani, 1992) and the understanding of popular cultural practices (Certeau, 1990) in its relationship with the city of João Pessoa, where it is considered an important cultural reference, symbolizing the resistance of the local community, and strengthening the identity of the neighbourhood, which is heavily commercial and also home to urban workers.