65related mistakes by his party, suggest
stubbornness, his supporters say he is
willing to evolve where it matters.
For example, Brazil’s conversation
on systemic racism has advanced since- According to Douglas Belchior,
an organizer for the nation’s Black Co-
alition for Rights, Lula’s antipoverty
and education- access programs gave
him a strong record on improving life
for Black and mixed-race Brazilians,
who make up 56% of the population
and 75% of the country’s poorest. But
today, Black and Indigenous Brazilians
are calling for more targeted action to
undo the pervasive legacy of slavery
and colonialism. Lula’s next adminis-
tration will need to put more emphasis
on antiracism, and correct “some seri-
ous failings” by past PT governments
on policing, Belchior says. “Going back
to the point immediately before Bol-
sonaro isn’t enough for us. We have to
move forward from where the PT gov-
ernments stopped,” he says. “And Lula
has listened to many Black activists,
intellectuals, and politicians. He knows
that the reconstruction of Brazil re-
quires tackling racism.”
There also are signs of movement
on environmental issues. Though Lula
is less ambitious about phasing out
fossil fuels, his administrations were
successful in curbing deforestation.
Now he is centering the shifts Bra-
zil needs to make on food to fight cli-
mate change—arguably more impor-
tant in a country where agriculture
and land use make up 61.5% of annual
greenhouse- gas emissions. “I have im-
proved how I speak. Now I’m not only
talking about [ensuring that people
can afford] a barbecue, but also about
vegetarians,” he tweeted in February.
“So we can stimulate a healthier agri-
culture in our country.”
Brazilian media attributes some
of Lula’s new talking points—which
also include an emphasis on genderequality and animal rights—to the
influence of his fiancée Rosângela
da Silva (no relation). In 2019, Lula an-
nounced his engagement to da Silva, a
55-year-old sociologist and PT activist,
and they plan to wed in May. He’s hesi-
tant to talk about her—“She can speak
for herself!”—but he has “learned
from her,” he says. “When you lose
your wife, you think, well, my life has
no more meaning. Then suddenly this
person appears who makes you feel
like you want to live again. I’m in love
as if I were 20 years old, as if it were
my first girlfriend.”
Lula believes the marriage will shape
the tone of his next political chap-
ter. “A guy as happy as I am doesn’t
have to rage—let your opponents do
what they want,” he says. “If I can, on
the campaign, I will speak only about
love. I don’t think it’s possible to be
a good President if you only feel hate
inside you, if all you want is revenge.
No, the past is over. I will build a new
Brazil.” —With reporting by ELOISE
BARRY/LONDON □△
A street vendor sells towels with
images of Bolsonaro and Lula near
Eldorado dos Carajás in SeptemberJONNE RORIZ—BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES