Ana Maria Gonçalves Takes Seat 33, Becomes ABL’s First Black Woman Member

Overview

• The induction begins at 8 p.m. at the ABL’s Petit Trianon in Rio and will stream live on the Academy’s website and YouTube channel.
• Gonçalves will be received by Lilia Schwarcz, receive the collar from Ana Maria Machado, and be handed the diploma by Gilberto Gil, with named entrance and exit commissions.
• Her green fardão was produced by Portela’s atelier in what is reported as the first ABL outfit made by a samba school, coordinated by carnavalesco André Rodrigues with artisans João Vitor Ferreira, Raayane Costa and Anthony Albuquerque.
• Celebrations include a seated dinner for 300 featuring an African menu and a musical group arriving after a cortejo through downtown streets.
• Author of Um Defeito de Cor, winner of the 2007 Casa de las Américas and Portela’s 2024 enredo that boosted the book’s sales, she succeeds the late Evanildo Bechara, becomes the Academy’s 13th woman, and at 54 is its youngest current member.