“After two years without Corsos, it’s like I’m going to parade for the first time” | reporting

Diogo Melo is back from a piece of cardboard and a piece of fabric, building what will become a key accessory of the costume with which he will parade this Carnival. He prefers not to reveal too many details, so as not to spoil the surprise effect for those who will attend the Corsos in Estarreja, a land with strong carnival traditions. Since he was four years old, he has been part of the Corsicans in his homeland, infected by his “mother and uncles”, but this year, the anxiety is more than a lot. “After two years without corsos, it’s as if I were going to parade for the first time”, tells us the 26-year-old who has been assuming the role of master of the room at the Tribal samba school. For nine years now, he has been playing the role of the dancer who, together with the flag bearer, leads the samba school during the corso, a mission that fills him with pride. “It is an honor to be part of the flag-bearing couple”, reports the accountant who, despite working in Mealhada, another land with strong traditions in Carnival to the rhythm of samba, never thought of changing his hometown for another.