There is controversy at the Carnival. Beija-Flor, the Brazilian samba school which has been crowned champion of's annual Carnival festivities, is alleged to have received funding from Equatorial Guinea.

Considered one of Rio's top samba-schools, Beija-Flor (which is Portuguese for hummingbird) presented the story of the African nation in its carnival parade, BBC reports. Although the dance group admitted it had received support from Equatorial Guinea, a nation noted for its wealth in oil, they have denied reports that they were paid more than $3 million for deciding on the theme of their presentation.

The Nation of Equatorial Guinea is the subject of much controversy as, despite two decades of oil production, a great many citizens of the African nation live in poverty.

Teodoro Obiang, the president of Equatorial Guinea who seized power in 1979, is thought to be one of the richest men in Africa. The longest-serving leader in Africa, Obiang has been accused of corruption.

Human rights group Amnesty International has called for transparency in the matter of the samba school funding and stated that Rio's carnival should in no way be sponsored by a man that they have accused of severe human rights violations and corruption.

Despite the controversial funding, Beija-Flor was already considered one of the favorites to win the Rio carnival parade. Taking into account categories that rated costumes as well as the quality of composed samba songs, a panel of Carnival judges gave Beija-Flor a near perfect score.

Over the years, Beija-Flor has won the Rio carnival parade contest 13 times.

This is not the first time a samba school has faced controversy due to its funding. In 2006, the Vila Isabel samba school was criticized for supposedly accepting money to praise the Venezuelan government under President Hugo Chavez.

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