The future First Lady of Brazil, Rosángela da Silva, known as “Janja”, organized the inauguration of the president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, taking care of every detail so that Brasilia has a “great popular celebration” on Sunday.

“This first January will start with joy and end with joy. We are working for this, to make it a happy day for everyone,” the Workers’ Party leader’s wife said at a press conference in early December.

During the campaign, the 56-year-old sociologist had already organized events in which she brought together artists in support of Lula, 77, who this Sunday assumes the presidency of Brazil for the third time.

And since his Oct. 30 victory over outgoing far-right Jair Bolsonaro, Janja has been one of the visible faces of Lula’s transition team.

Command

The future first lady he was present at nearly every public appearance of the president-elect in Brasilia, and held press conferences on the investiture. An unusual role for the wife of a Brazilian president.

At Bolsonaro’s inauguration four years ago, first lady Michelle took on a lower profile, though she impressed with a sign-language address to crowds outside the Planalto presidential palace.

As inauguration coordinator, Janja begins to honor her campaign promise to “give new meaning to the role of first lady.”

“Besides the institutional act, we will hold a great popular celebration, called the Festa del Futuro”, with about thirty concerts, he announced.

The musical lineup is deliberately eclectic, with pop stars like drag queen Pabllo Vittar; samba legends like Martinho da Vila, 84; and indigenous singer Kaê Guajajara.

All these artists who will be part of the assumption have one thing in common: they are deeply committed to the left and they “campaigned” in some way, Janja explained.

The concerts will take place on two stages, named after two great Brazilian singers who passed away this year: Elza Soares, who passed away in January, and Gal Costa, in November.

In addition to coordinating the works, Janja is attention to the smallest details. For example, he managed to limit the noise that could disturb autistic people and animals, such as the thunderous display of 21 guns that the Senate usually fires during the ceremony, which will not take place this year.

His care and affection for animals could bring other news: Resistencia, a dog that Janja adopted while Lula was in prison and who currently lives with the couple, could climb the emblematic access ramp to the Planalto palace with the president elected, according to the future first lady revealed in an interview in November.

The time that Lula will greet the crowd from there, after being sworn in in Parliament, has also been carefully chosen: “It will be around 5pm, so we can enjoy the beautiful Brasilia sunset,” said Janja.

The future first lady has multiplied publications on social networks about concerts, with asks for donations for this festival which will be financed by the Workers’ Party of Lula (PT), and will cost about eight million reais (about 1.5 million dollars).

The expenses of the institutional acts, on the other hand, will be borne by the State.

Source: AFP

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