Walthamstow chemistry teacher Emmanuel Opoku’s knack for drumming has seen him perform in the most vibrant and biggest carnival in the world, writes Liedson Moreno Gomes
A Walthamstow chemistry teacher is balancing online teaching with performances and competitions in Brazil while leading a growing samba school in the UK.
Emmanuel Opoku says he has made use of the flexibility that online teaching platform MyEdSpace can provide him by also being a drummer at Rio de Janeiro’s massive carnival.
For Emmanuel, music has always been part of life. Born in Ghana, he moved to London as a young child and quickly realised how deeply rhythm shaped his identity.
“When I came to the UK, I couldn’t quite find the same style of music that I had grown up with in Ghana, so my music teachers ended up pointing me to the direction of samba, which is quite similar to the music that was practised in Ghana as well.”
Samba, the vibrant Afro-Brazilian musical style central to Brazilian carnival culture, soon became a gateway to a brand new world of self discovery.
His first major breakthrough came early as a teenager when he performed at Notting Hill Carnival.
“When I was about 16, 17, I did my first carnival in the UK with Notting Hill Carnival, with a samba school called Paraiso, that’s when I really started to understand the significance of the culture for people out in Brazil.”
Since then, Emmanuel has travelled to Brazil to perform with samba schools there, an experience he says demands respect and discipline.
He adds: “Practicing in Brazil has helped me understand more about Afro-Brazilian culture, learn more about the history of the migration of Africans into Brazil and how there’s still a very strong connection between Africa and the cultures that we see in different places in Brazil, mainly Samba.”
Performing in Brazil’s samba schools can be intense. Behind the colourful costumes and huge parades, performers are under constant pressure as judges analyse every detail.
“As a performer, it’s actually very stressful. Because obviously everything is judged, every movement, every beat, every kind of artistic impersonation you do of the theme is judged by the judges. So you always feel under scrutiny.”
As a musician from London performing in Brazil, the pressure can feel even greater.
“Coming from the UK, you’re labelled with the ‘gringo status’, which just means you’re a foreigner. So every time you play, everybody’s just watching you a bit more than usual.
“And what you’ve got to realise is this is like people’s livelihoods. This is their culture. So you have people on the sidelines basically watching you thinking like, why does this person deserve to play over me? So it’s always that kind of feeling of being judged.”
Behind the colourful costumes and televised carnival performances, he says life in Brazil can be far tougher than it appears.
“There’s a very big difference in the culture between the UK and Brazil. And obviously, like what you see on the TV is the glitz and glamour. But when you actually move over there, you realise it’s a very hard life for the majority of people out there.”
Back in London, Emmanuel continues to build a samba community of his own while teaching chemistry online, blending science and rhythm in his daily routine.
He now teaches a UK-based samba group called Imperio da Rainha, which performs at events while sharing Brazilian culture through music. The group has been steadily growing and even won Best Performance at the Notting Hill Carnival in 2025.
“My samba school is called Imperio da Rainha and our theme this year is basically all about Brazil and everything that makes Brazil ‘Brazil’. So we’re learning as much as we can as directors in terms of what it means to be Brazilian.”
Through drumming, travelling and teaching, Emmanuel hopes to share the spirit of samba to audiences in London.
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