The rhythm that gives hope

At the beginning of February, the Arsenal of Hope held the 12th edition of “Batuca-Bresser”, our Carnival bloco, a street celebration typical of the Brazilian Carnival that the Arsenal has been promoting for many years because of its most genuine purpose: to bring life to the neighborhood while spreading a message of unity and fraternity.

Despite the heavy rain, it was possible to gather under the large tent the guests, children, families, friends, immigrants, young people, and residents of the neighborhood. And when the rain finally eased, the bloco was able to set off, taking to the streets and parading all the way to the large square in front of the nearby Immigration Museum.

It might be presumptuous to say that it is “the most beautiful bloco in the world”—after all, on the immense Carnival map of São Paulo, where a single bloco can attract as many as one million people, what is a small bloco like ours? Yet, as the years go by, Batuca-Bresser continues to carry within itself the whole world, a little of the many worlds that make up this great metropolis. Amid the smiles, the dancing, the music and, above all, the rhythm of the drums, there is a shared desire to feel and to tell one another that it is possible to walk together. This is the rhythm that gives hope.

This year, Batuca-Bresser was the first commemorative event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Arsenal of Hope, this home that is not only “of” hope but that seeks to give—and truly gives—hope every day through countless concrete acts, both offered and received. May this first event of the year bring with it new ideas, new solutions and new friends, so that this long history of hope may continue.

The Sermig Fraternity in Brazil
NP March 2026