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Unless the judge blocks the choice of a 7-year-old Samba Queen, Julia Lira will represent her father's Viradouro Samba School drum section, as drum corps queen. Citizens are outraged at the choice of a 7-year old, in a country with a long history of child exploitation. See a video below. See update below.
Julia Lira
Strappy high heels, and just a few sequins, feathers and jewels, usually adorn the traditionally sultry and beautiful Carnival queen. Julia would compete with 11 other women from different Samba schools.
Viradouro, which won the title in 1997, is no stranger to controversy. In 2008, a judge blocked the group's use of a dancer dressed as Hitler on a float loaded with naked people representing Holocaust victims after the display caused an international outcry.
Update 2-11-10:
A family court has judged that Julia may be the drum corps queen for her father's dance group. She will perform on television early Monday morning (Rio time).The Rio state agency for child protection confirmed the ruling and said it would appeal to the Justice Ministry. Calls to Judge Ivone Caetano, who decided the case, were not immediately returned.
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