Haroldo Costa, intellectual and journalist, dies at age 95

A multifaceted artist, journalist Haroldo Costa died on Saturday (13) in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 95. His death was confirmed by his family on his official social media profile. Costa is a former employee of Radio MEC and has worked for the former TVE, now TV Brasil, public media outlets managed by EBC, where Costa developed various projects. A journalist, actor, composer, producer, and radio and television director, Haroldo is best known for his work as a commentator on samba school parades during Carnival. More recently, he was a member of the jury for the Estandarte de Ouro award, organized by O Globo newspaper. Previously, he was part of the jury for the Independent League of Samba Schools (Liesa), as one of the researchers who valued Afro-Brazilian culture in Carnival. Salgueiro, the samba school he supported, declared that it is in mourning. Estação Primeira de Mangueira did the same. In a statement, the green and pink school said he was a “unique figure in Carnival.” Haroldo Costa's career began at the Teatro Experimental do Negro (TEN), founded by another intellectual and artist, Abdias do Nascimento. Haroldo then joined dancers and actors to form the group that undertook the Brasiliana tour and, for five years, promoted Brazilian popular culture in 25 countries in Europe and America. This is one of the experiences highlighted in the exhibition Haroldo Costa – Samba Outras Coisas (Haroldo Costa – Samba Other Things), created 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 statement in tribute to the artist, highlighting the career of the black artist and communicator as “fundamental.” “A genius of art and a wonderful human being, with whom we worked on countless projects and whom we had the pleasure and honor of honoring with an exhibition that celebrated his rich history.” As an actor, Haroldo Costa also achieved the great feat of starring in Ofeu da Conceição, a musical play by Vinicius de Moraes, which marked the beginning of the poet's partnership with composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. The invitation made Haroldo the first black actor to step onto the stage of the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, in a show with sets by Oscar Niemeyer and a poster by Carlos Scliar. Starting in the 1960s, Haroldo took over the microphones and direction of radio programs at MEC, Mayrink Veiga, and TV. At the classical music radio station, he produced and presented, for example, the program Balcão Nobre, which featured recordings of performances from the opera scene between the 1970s and 1980s. He also hosted Estampas Brasileiras, where he interviewed artists, and Mosaico Panamericano, a Latin music program, together with instrumentalist Aloysio de Alencar Pinto. As a historian, he authored fifteen books, two of which were dedicated to his beloved samba school – Salgueiro: Academia do Samba (1984) and Salgueiro: 50 anos de Glória (2003), which became the most important works on samba schools, in addition to Fala, crioulo - O que é ser negro no Brasil, among other books. Intellectuals, artists, and politicians mourned the passing of Haroldo Costa. Congresswoman Benedita da Silva (PT-RJ) said that the Rio native was an absolute reference in samba, carnival, and black intellectualism. “His work, his voice, and his struggle remain alive among us,” she declared. Another icon of Rio's carnival and griot, journalist and radio broadcaster Rubem Confete expressed his solidarity with the family and highlighted Haroldo as a “great thinker, researcher, actor, and screenwriter who leaves behind 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 intellectualism. The mayor 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 people of samba. His legacy is eternal,” he said. The governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro, sent a note to the press calling Haroldo a master, “who helped generations understand the grandeur of the parades, the samba themes, and the identity of our people.” The family has not yet announced details about the wake or funeral.