Rio Carnival: Mangueira samba school wins

Mangueira's samba school "drum queen",Evelin, led thousands of members of the drum section who must keep the school dancing to time to win more points

One of Rio de Janeiro's most traditional samba schools, Mangueira, has won this year's Carnival.

It was the school's 18th title, won with the help of some 4,300 participants in the sumptuous parade.

Fans of the samba school, which is rooted in Rio's Mangueira favela, screamed with joy as the results were read out.

In an indication of how high the stakes are in the carnival championship, the results came in an armoured car.

For its winning parade, Mangueira paid homage to Maria Bethania, one of Brazil's most loved performer of MPB - Brazilian pop music

Mangueira's carnival explored Maria Bethania's roots in Bahia, the state in Brazil with the strongest African cultural influence derived from the days of slavery

Every parade is centred on a theme ranging from religious to historical topics and from politics to social issues

The samba school wins points for the enthusiasm, performance and verve of its performers

Points are given also for the costumes and floats which are made in huge warehouses by the samba school members