Design Momo Watch
Alex de Oliveira is well known in the world of Rio carnival, having been Rio’s official Rei Momo (king of Misrule) for 10 years.
During carnaval, the keys of the city are symbolically handed to the Rei Momo at midnight on the Friday of carnival weekend, and he hands them back on midnight of Shrove Tuesday. He represents the spirit of Carnival, and has to be everywhere; in the street blocos, the rehearsals, the parties and events leading up to carnival; and then in the street blocos and the parades of all of the samba schools. He has to be jolly, happy, fat, Carioca, and an excellent samba dancer.
The Rei Momo is elected every year through a competition, and in 1997, when Alex was first elected, the rules stated that Rei Momo had to be very fat, with a minimum weight of 130 kilos. This was no problem for he weighed 225 kilos.
Alex was a great Rei Momo. Always smiling, always jolly, always in the right place at the right time. Sometimes it seemed as though there were several of him, he attended so many events on the same night -230 events in three months, one year. Alex Rei Momo was known and loved by everyone.
But Rio moves with the times. Previous Rei Momos had died of the effects of obesity. Instead of a minimum weight, they imposed a maximum weight. And this weight came down year after year. What was fat Alex to do?
He had stomach surgery. By the year 2000 he was down to 145 kilos, and he kept on losing weight. He dieted. He exercised. He underwent three operations to remove excess skin. By 2008, when this photo was taken, he was down to 110 kilos. These days, fat Alex is no more. He is now fit Alex, weighing less than 90 kilos.
Alex hung up his crown as Rei Momo after carnival 2008, announcing his intention to participate in different areas of carnival. With a degree in architecture , a post grad in design, and face that everyone knew, he was able to move into the planning and design of the Rio carnival parades. In 2009 he was carnavalesco (designer of the parade) for Jacarezinho, and this year he is joint carnavalesco of Portela, in the special group – which must be especially thrilling for him as his first Rio carnival parade, aged 13, was in Portela.
See a video about this here - its in Portuguese, but the pictures work for themselves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02IXSj70Yu0
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