After more than 20 years as a flag bearer, Squel Jorgea retires in 2022. But Carnival does not let her go: in 2024, she decides to return to the avenue. Squel was the first to represent Rio’s two most traditional samba schools, Mangueira and Portela. Her return takes place after single motherhood, in a reconnection with the body, gestures, and strength that established her as a reference. Back at Portela, Squel dances to the theme inspired by Ana Maria Gonçalves’s “Um Defeito de Cor”: a son’s letter to his enslaved mother, a story that resonates with her own journey. Between the silence that precedes the parade and the roar of the drums, Squel’s dance transforms into a rite, resistance, and a celebration of Afro-Brazilian culture.