On Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, Brazilian Carnival Band called “Joy without Hangover” completed ten consecutive years of drug preventive parades on the main seaside Atlantica Avenue of Copacabana, one of the most famous postcard views of Brazil.
The renown popular singer, Eduardo Dussek, in his appointed role as the King of the Band, as well as other artists, stood high on the sound truck, singing many of the popular Carnival songs and thus drawing to the march more than a thousand revelers.
The 2013 appointed godmother (a similar role to a princess or a queen) of the Band Joy without Hangover was Rio de Janeiro’ s State Anti-drug Police Chief Valeria Aragon, who carried, dancing all the way, the Band s Flag.
Created by ABRAD – Brazilian Association on Alcoholism and Drugs (www.abradonline.org.br), whose president is Dr. Jorge Jaber, the Band Joy Without Hangover raised with songs and dance the banner of the need to prevent alcohol abuse and the no use of illegal drugs. Many educators, citizens and group associations participated. Among those were the State University of Rio de Janeiro Nursing School Program “Health is Fun”, counselors on addiction trained by ABRAD, the NGO Fighting For Those in Need; The Brazilian Air Force; groups of Capoeira art as many others.
The Band Joy Without Hangover was sponsored by the Social Service of Commerce – and had as supporters the municipal and state Anti-Drug councils , APERJ, BPA, OAB and Institute of Brazilian Lawyers, Rio de Janeiro s Lawyers and NGOs Transit Friend, World Federation Against Drugs, and Brazilian Humanitarians in Action -BRAHA whose President is also the Prevention Director of ABRAD.
Two weeks before the March, several TV stations, newspapers and radio programs run non paid ads and commented about the initiative of the March. On the day of the march, several TV reporters came to interview people and even two reporters of French TV and one of the Portuguese TV were on site to report the March. Several Brazilian cities have shown interest in emulating such a March.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.