In the female hierarchy of Brazilian Carnival, Ms Flores' current role comes ... but to her it is not an issue. "The women show their bodies and it's their decision," she says.

“I think that the tropical climate, the carnival and all this racial mixing gives the Brazilian woman a unique biotype on the planet,” pageant organizer Cacau Oliver, a well-known female ...

The Viradouro samba school has won Rio de Janeiro's hotly contested Carnival parade competition with its tribute to black women ... said it wanted to highlight Brazil's historic ties with Benin ...