Waldemar Esteves da Cunha (August 9, 1920 – April 8, 2013) was at the time of his death in 2013, the oldest

King Momo King Momo or King Momos or King Momus, (Rei Momo in Portuguese or Rey Momo in Spanish) is considered the king of Carnivals in numerous Latin American festivities, mainly in Brazil and Colombia. His appearance signifies the beginning of the Carn ...

in Brazil.

Biography

Waldemar Esteves da Cunha was born in the port city of Santos, Brazil, on August 9, 1920. For many years he worked with dental articles in the family company. In 1950 he was elected

of Santos, after the ''Dona Dorotea

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

'', a marathon on Santos' beach. He was Momo of Santos until 1990 and today is the oldest

in Brazil. In 1957 he suffered a '' golpe'' when he was elected Rei Momo Eduardo, from

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. After 1957, he was Momo until 1990. Between 1997 and 2000 the Carnival of Santos had some security troubles. The city wanted the

Samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

Schools to be great as National Carnivals (Rio and São Paulo) and the parades were on the Orla beach, but unfortunately it was all locked. King Momo Waldemar, during the Carnival of 2001, at the age of 81, came back on the Avenues to lay peace and joy. Unfortunately, nothing happened, and the parades were blocked until 2005. In that year Santos had a new

Sambadrome Sambadrome ( pt, Sambódromo) is the name given to an exhibition place for the Samba schools parades during Carnaval in Brazil. A sambadrome generally consists of tiered spectator viewing areas surrounding a long alley for the schools to parade down ...

, in Northwestern City, larger than the area of the Orla beach. Pensioned, Waldemar lived in Santos with his wife. He had four children, six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. He died in Santos on April 8, 2013.

Post mortem

In 2018, after 5 years of his death, the ''Carnaval Memorial'' and the Department of Culture organized an exhibition in his honor.

Gallery

Image: Rei.momo.waldemar.2008.jpg, King Momo Waldemar five years before his death. (2008) Image: Rei.momo.waldemar-e-andrea.2008.jpg, King Momo, with the band of peace-maker 2001, receives courtesy visit of Queen Andréa (

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

1989).

References

External links

Page of Santos Municipality

Official Website of Foundation ''Arte e Memoria de Santos''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunha, Waldemar Esteves da 1920 births 2013 deaths People from Santos, São Paulo Brazilian Carnival