English Version | Lamento Sertanejo

“The optimist is a fool. The pessimist, boring. The best is to be a realistic hopeful.” 

Ariano Suassuna was the author of this quote and, curiously, the one responsible for the play O Auto da Compadecida, which serves as inspiration for the pages that follow. Depicting, in a light and humorous way, the drama lived by the people of the Brazilian Northeast, haunted by the fear of famine and in a constant battle against misery, the satire aims to represent the games of power, but also the inequality between classes, conveying the essential of the sertanejopeople, that use their intelligence and optimism to survive. It’s in these positive words that lives this story, which serves as a tribute to the Northeast Region, a cradle for a number of great Brazilian artists, from music to literature. Here, where great cultural and identity references from Brazil live and are exported from, we honor the talents but, above all, the hope of a population that, against all odds and in the midst of all obstacles and stumbles, is able to turn joy into its visiting card. Photography by Frederico Martins. Directed by Larissa Marinho.

Translated from Vogue Portugal's Hope issue, out September 2020. All credits in the original articles.Texto em português na edição em print.