“Ora yê yê ô, Oxum 

Kabecilê, Xangô 

Meus sonhos e tambores, tintas e “prazeres” 

Pra você, Heitor“

Macumbembê, Samborembá: Sonhei que um Sambista Sonhou a África is the title of the samba-enredo of Unidos de Vila Isabel, which pays tribute to Heitor dos Prazeres at this year’s Rio Carnaval. The enredo explores the artist’s complex trajectory, highlighting the close relationship between his life and Rio de Janeiro’s cultural transformations, as well as his creative power in dreaming up new Africas.

The composition by André Diniz, Evandro Bocão, and Arlindinho provides the rhythm for the concept by Carnaval designers Leonardo Bora, Gabriel Haddad, and Vinícius Natal. From Heitor’s childhood in the Praça Onze neighborhood—in Rio’s “Pequena África,” where he began as an ogã at Tia Ciata’s terreiro—through his essential contribution to the formation of samba and Carnaval, to his internationally recognized practice as a painter, the narrative celebrates the remarkable journey of his life.