Dear politician, it’s time to take off your leather hat in the Northeast – 12/07/2021

Former judge Sergio Moro (Podemos) did not resist the temptation and can say that he was baptized while hunting for the votes of the northeast. On his first visit to Recife as a preliminary candidate – and to the rhythm of the campaign – he donned a leather hat known as the Cangaseiro hat. Together with him, he posed for photographs to try to show his identification with the culture of the Northeast.

That this cartoonish hat that so many politicians wear is not only a joke, but also for us, the inhabitants of the Northeast?

First, the obvious fact (for those who live here): This Cangaseiro hat – which did not appear in the Cangaso, but was sanctified by the use of Cangaseiros – is not worn in urban or rural areas. Example: in Recife, where he wore a hat, if anyone looks today, they will not find anyone on the ornamented streets.

In fact, an armed gang led by Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, nicknamed “Lampiau”, has done damage with their invasions and looting, calling (in a very dubious way and this, shall we say, only reinforce the stigma) the crimes of today’s thieves. who invade cities to rob banks. Over time: If Moro was a judge or a politician during the kangaso, he would have been much more adept at arresting than paying tribute to them.

But this is not the case, nor is it Moro. After all, in such a large country for a presidential candidate from the South, it’s normal not to know the North (I’m talking about a geographic issue here). But they always turn out to be strange when they elude reality – as long as it is supported by local allies who do not really help, accepting these pathetic clothes…

The question is, does this hat represent the identity of people living in nine states, one different from the other?

First of all, it is worth clarifying something: a real leather hat (called a cowboy hat) is still used in real life, but in the interior, in the countryside, in the wild and in the hinterland.

it kangaseiro hat, today only crafts for tourists are on sale:

This is a leather hat that is still in use today, the so-called cowboy hat:

Not friends; Like the southeast, Pernambuco is not the same as Bahia, which will never be the same as Ceara, and is different from Maranhao – just like Minas Gerais is not the same as São Paulo.

Here we already know this fetish of the non-northeast in the use of rural symbols to refer to us: when it is not a hat, there is a cactus or riding on a donkey (better known there as a donkey).

It sounds so broad that one day my teacher (from Rio de Janeiro) told us that when he first landed here he thought he was in a different region when he arrived in Maceio and did not. I don’t see any cacti, but there are many buildings and cobbled streets.

But it should be noted that this quest to perpetuate the northeastern stereotype – as laughable as it is and the target of ridicule rather than praise – is not exclusive to Moreau. FHC, Bolsonaro, Alckmin, Aécio, Serra, Dilma … the list seems endless when it comes to non-northeast people trying to approximate local identity with ineffective symbols.

It is even more curious to see how his supporters are happy to wear rough clothes, believing that this helps him to get carried away. Even Lula (from Pernambuco but based in São Paulo), the most popular here, wore several and helped spread the stigma.

Dear non-northeast politicians, here, it seems, no one walks down the street wearing a leather hat. They have nothing to do with, for example, the coast and woodland. They reinforce the stigma of rural people and caricature people who do not represent us at all.

Perhaps in the South, people give the same impression of pomp. As in the North, they think it is just a forest and Indians. As a result: each place has its own rules, its own identity, and here there are many plurals (sometimes even in neighboring territories).

Yes, the Northeast has a rich history; but not the entire region suffers from drought, as not everyone lives on the seashore. Like his people and culture, his symbols do not tell or represent a single story.

Also, we have a (healthy) rivalry in the region: see Comments on Bahia x Sport Day. Indicate if a frevo from Olinda (PE) is better than an ax from Bahia than from Pernambuco. Or come to Campina Grande (PB) to say that São João de Caruaro is bigger. So, in the debate about beaches, “cuckoo eats”, as we say here, if you do not think that Maceio is the most beautiful.

In other words, we too are united by differences, as well as the debate about healthy leadership, victories, and cultural acceptance. We need tourists, but those who do not bear the stigma.

And it is useless for politicians to think that they will break when they use a symbol to represent us. We are several peoples from the same region who perhaps identify as northeastern and love them differently than others. But we will never be defined by hat, drought or the sea. Each establishment has its own brand, for example, cajuína from Teresina or carne de sol from Piquí (PB). There are many of us and we are different – and it’s time for politicians who want us to vote to realize this.