An artist with multiple facets, journalist Haroldo Costa died this Saturday (13), in Rio de Janeiro, at the age of 95. The death was confirmed by the family, on his official profile, on social media.
Costa is a former employee of MEC Radio and has experience at the former TVE, currently TV Brasilpublic vehicles managed by EBCwhere Costa developed different projects.
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Journalist, actor, composer, radio and television producer and director, Haroldo is best known for his work as a commentator for samba school parades during Carnival. More recently, he was part of the judging panel for the Estandarte de Ouro awards, from Jornal O Globo. Previously, he was part of the judging panel of the Independent League of Samba Schools (Liesa), as he was one of the researchers who valued Afro-Brazilian culture at Carnival.
Salgueiro, a samba school of which he was a fan, declared that it is in mourning. Mangueira First Station too. In a statement, the green and pink school said that he was a “unique figure at carnival”.
Haroldo Costa’s career begins at the Teatro Experimental do Negro (TEN), founded by another intellectual and artist, Abdias do Nascimento. Afterwards, Haroldo joined dancers and actors to form the group that undertook the Brasiliana tour and which, for five years, spread Brazilian popular culture across 25 countries in Europe and America.
This is one of the experiences highlighted in the Haroldo Costa – Samba & Other Things exhibition, made in honor of the artist, by Sesi, in 2011. Following Costa’s death, the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro posted a public note in honor of the artist, highlighting the trajectory of the black artist and communicator as “fundamental”. “An artistic genius and a wonderful human being, with whom we worked together on countless projects and whom we had the pleasure and honor of honoring with an exhibition that celebrated his entire rich history.”
As an actor, Haroldo Costa also achieved the great feat of being the protagonist of Ofeu da Conceição, a theatrical play set to music by Vinicius de Moraes, which inaugurated the poet’s partnership with composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. The invitation made Haroldo the first black actor to step onto the stage at the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, in a show in which the sets were by Oscar Niemeyer and the poster was designed by Carlos Scliar.
From the 60s onwards, Haroldo took over microphones and directed radio programs on MEC, Mayrink Veiga and TV. On the classical music radio station, he produced and presented, for example, the Balcão Nobre program, which featured recordings of performances from the lyrical scene between the 1970s and 1980s.
He also led the Brazilian Printswhere he interviews artists, and Panamerican Mosaica Latin music program, together with instrumentalist Aloysio de Alencar Pinto.
As a historian, he is the author of fifteen books, two of them dedicated to the school at heart – Salgueiro: Samba Academy (1984) and Salgueiro: 50 years of Glory (2003), which became the most important works on samba schools, in addition to Speak, Creole – What it means to be black in Brazilamong other books.
Tributes
Intellectuals, artists and politicians mourned the death of Haroldo Costa. Representative Benedita da Silva (PT-RJ) said that the carioca was an absolute reference for samba, carnival and black intellectuality. “His work, his voice and his fight remain alive among us”, he declared.
Another icon of the Rio carnival and griot, journalist and radio host Rubem Confete expressed solidarity with family members and highlighted Haroldo as a “great thinker, researcher, actor and screenwriter who leaves a legacy and enormous work in favor of Afro-Brazilian culture”.
Historian Lilia Schwarcz said that the communicator was a central figure in black and Brazilian intellectuality.
Writer Nei Lopes said that Haroldo was one of the greatest references and recalled that the artist was the first black man, in 1958, to direct a feature film, the Grass Track or A stranger knocks on your door. “The eternal home of elegant black people, irreplaceable friends, has gained another member of the first team”.
The mayor of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, added that Haroldo Costa, “guardian of samba and carnival”, dedicated his life to samba and carnival “with dignity and deep love for the samba people. His legacy is eternal”, he stated.
The governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro, sent a statement to the press calling Haroldo a master, “who helped generations to understand the grandeur of the parades, the sambas and the identity of our people.”
The family has not yet announced a wake or burial.
