In Lula's home state, Brazilian rodeo riders lean left

In Lula's home state, Brazilian rodeo riders lean left

Brazil's semi-arid Sertao region is home to a unique rodeo tradition known as "Pega de Boi no Mato" -- which roughly translates as the "Grab the Bull Bush Rodeo"
Brazil's semi-arid Sertao region is home to a unique rodeo tradition known as "Pega de Boi no Mato" -- which roughly translates as the "Grab the Bull Bush Rodeo". Photo: CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
Source: AFP

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Brazil's powerful agribusiness industry may back far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, but at the "Grab the Bull Bush Rodeo" in runoff rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's home state, the death-defying cowboys love the leftist ex-president.

Northeastern Brazil's harsh, semi-arid Sertao region is the birthplace of this unique rodeo tradition, in which cowhands on horseback chase a charging bull through thick, cactus-strewn scrubland, racing to grab a leather tag from around his neck.

Riders compete in pairs to grab a tag from around a bull's neck as it charges through the harsh, cactus- and thorn-filled scrubland
Riders compete in pairs to grab a tag from around a bull's neck as it charges through the harsh, cactus- and thorn-filled scrubland. Photo: CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
Source: AFP

One at a time, hundreds of bulls are released from a narrow pen, charging into the bush as two-person teams give chase. The winner is the team that returns their tag to the starting line fastest -- sometimes sprinting on foot, for those who fall off their horses.

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Bleeding from his left eyelid, cowboy Jose Vasconcelos looks like he just had a near-death experience as he strips off the heavy, head-to-toe leather get-up riders wear for protection.

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But even though he failed to catch his bull, he is beaming.

"Pega de Boi" is a dangerous, sometimes deadly sport -- but riders and fans love it
"Pega de Boi" is a dangerous, sometimes deadly sport -- but riders and fans love it. Photo: CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
Source: AFP

"It's the best! Wow, the adrenaline. I can't even explain it," says the thickly built 29-year-old, who has previously smashed up his arm, leg and collarbone while competing.

Besides the whoops of the cowboys, the jangling of spurs and the smell of barbecue, there is a heavy hint of politics in the air at Fazenda Piuta, a cattle ranch outside Cabrobo, in Pernambuco state, a five-hour drive from Lula's hometown.

The election showdown between the ex-president (2003-2010) and Bolsonaro is in full swing, and -- as seems to be the case for virtually everyone at the rodeo -- Vasconcelos is no fan of the incumbent.

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The northeast, Brazil's poorest and second-most populous region, leans heavily toward leftist presidential front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who hails from the region
The northeast, Brazil's poorest and second-most populous region, leans heavily toward leftist presidential front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who hails from the region. Photo: CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
Source: AFP

"I don't know much about politics, but I know this: Bolsonaro ain't a good president," he says.

Economical with his words, he cites a common complaint: inflation.

"In Lula's day, gas was cheaper. Everything was."

Horseback prayer

Brazil's giant agribusiness sector broadly backs Bolsonaro -- the third "B" in his "Bibles, bullets and beef" coalition.

The rodeo tradition is passed down from generation to generation in the Sertao
The rodeo tradition is passed down from generation to generation in the Sertao. Photo: Carl DE SOUZA / AFP
Source: AFP

But northeastern cattle farmers are outliers.

The region, Brazil's poorest, is also a key electoral battleground, home to one-fourth the country's 214 million people.

Lula, who won the first-round election on October 2 by a tighter-than-expected 48 percent to 43 percent for Bolsonaro, won the northeast with a crushing 67 percent.

Bolsonaro, who took just 27 percent in the region, is hoping to do better in the October 30 runoff, but he faces a tough fight.

Two riders wash their horses before competing
Two riders wash their horses before competing. Photo: Carl DE SOUZA / AFP
Source: AFP

Ana Gabriele dos Santos, a 25-year-old farmhand helping prepare the horses, was only a child when Lula last won election 16 years ago. But she says she grew up hearing how much his social programs helped people.

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"Ever since I was a kid I heard people talk about Lula. We were for Lula then, we're for Lula now," she says.

"He's from here, he knows what it's like. He thinks about the poor. Bolsonaro doesn't. He just thinks about winning."

Riders wear leather gear from head to toe for protection
Riders wear leather gear from head to toe for protection. Photo: CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
Source: AFP

Preparing for his rodeo run in his traditional leather gear, Marcelo Nogueira, 30, cites two examples: a new $115-a-month welfare program called Auxilio Brasil, and a massive irrigation project rerouting the Sao Francisco river, both of which Bolsonaro claims as successes.

"Bolsonaro is worthless. He invented this 'Auxilio Brasil,' but it's just a new name for 'Bolsa Familia' (Lula's signature welfare program). And all he did was inaugurate the irrigation system. The one who started it was Lula," says Nogueira.

"My whole family's with Lula. I think the whole northeast is with Lula."

Riders take part in a Catholic mass on horseback before competing
Riders take part in a Catholic mass on horseback before competing. Photo: CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
Source: AFP

The rodeo starts with a Catholic mass on horseback, where a priest blesses the riders and prays for their safety.

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It is no trivial matter. Two weeks before this event, a cowboy was impaled by a branch in the parched scrubland and died.

The danger doesn't diminish the appeal for die-hard fans, who climb atop trucks or scale the thorny trees to cheer on riders.

Fans say rodeo riding is "bigger than football" in the Sertao
Fans say rodeo riding is "bigger than football" in the Sertao. Photo: Carl DE SOUZA / AFP
Source: AFP

"We live for this. It's bigger than football here," says Maria de Moraes, 48, a farmer and self-described rodeo addict.

One other thing gets her equally fired up.

"Lula, Lula and Lula," she says when asked which candidate she is voting for.

"I get goosebumps just talking about him."

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Source: AFP

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