“It’s not just Lula’s victory, it’s the victory of all the Brazilian people”, launches Saturday Herval Nogueira Junior, who traveled more than 1,300 km by bike to attend the inauguration of the left-wing president-elect. in Brasilia.
The cyclist’s helmet still screwed on his skull, this 60-year-old retiree caused a sensation in the camp of left-wing activists installed in a huge hangar near a large park in the center of the Brazilian capital.
Tens of thousands of people are expected on Sunday for a day of official ceremonies and more festive celebrations in the capital on the occasion of the enthronement of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
They have been flocking for several days from all over the country, bringing tents decorated with the effigy of Lula or the star of the logo of the Workers’ Party (PT), responsible for the organization of the camp which should accommodate some 18,000 people. .
Herval Nogueira Junior left by bike on December 21 from Aracruz, in the state of Espirito Santo (southeast). He traveled around 130 km a day, sleeping in cheap hostels, except on the eighth day, when he had to pitch his tent by the side of the road.
“It may sound crazy, but I wanted to challenge myself. I have prostheses in both knees and I started cycling to strengthen the muscles of my legs, ”tells AFP this Brazilian who damaged his cartilage while working in a port.
The teaching couple Raquel Rocha and Marcos Angelus also made a hell of a journey to arrive in Brasília: they left on December 26 by car from Joao Pessoa, in the state of Paraiba (northeast) and were the very first to arrive at camp on Thursday.
The organizers were only expecting the first arrivals, most of whom came by coach, from Friday, but they were still able to pitch their tent.
“We could have come by bus, but we preferred to go on an adventure, to stop on the way,” says Marcos Angelus, 38.
“I hope it will be a celebration of love, of peace, so that we can live this historic moment without violence,” said his companion Raquel, a young blonde woman aged 34.
Thorough search
Amanda Vannucci, from Sao Gonçalo, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, is also worried about security after a bomb was found in a tanker truck near Brasília airport last Saturday.
“We take our precautions, we always walk in groups. I’m a little scared, but I’m happy, I’ve been a member of the PT for 18 years and I’m moved by the idea of seeing Lula, a former turner-miller, like my father, return to the presidency”, explains this 30 year old mestizo.
Most of the people welcomed in the camp had to register beforehand. Upon arrival, they must identify themselves at the reception desk, then are thoroughly searched with metal detectors at the entrance.
But inside, the atmosphere is festive. A group of young people from the state of Minas Gerais (southeast) sings Brazilian rock songs, accompanied by a guitar.
Leonam Costa, a 27-year-old engineer, traveled 24 hours by bus from Toledo, in Parana (south), but he is from Para, one of the Amazon states most affected by deforestation.
“I hope that with Lula, everything will change, that we will better preserve nature,” says this young black man who wears a traditional straw hat decorated with fluorescent strips on the sides.