They call her the muse of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival. She insists she’s a missionary

By DAVID BILLER
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Raquel Potí has become the preeminent face of Rio’s Carnival street parties, and is a fixture on the front pages of Brazilian newspapers and magazines. Her giant headdresses and glittery makeup are explosions of color looming over the street festivities that draw millions each year. Some have begun calling her Carnival’s muse, but she considers herself a missionary. She has led a boom of stilt walkers who have taken over the world’s biggest Carnival street parties. Over the past decade, hundreds have popped up at these annual pre-Lenten celebrations — mostly due to Poti, who has trained over 1,000 of them across Rio.