Rio de Janeiro (AFP)

International stars in number, more than 700,000 spectators on seven days of festival: Rock in Rio starts this Friday with headliners like Drake or Iron Maiden and social actions including the preservation of the Amazon.

This musical high mass that will bring together an audience, especially young, from all over Brazil to the 2016 Olympics Olympic Park takes on a particular dimension under the government of the far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, a climateosceptic and customary macho slippage, racist or homophobic.

For its eighth edition in Brazil - the twentieth when counting those organized in Portugal, Spain or the United States - the mega-festival born in 1985 reaffirms more than ever its desire to work for "a better world", its slogan since 2001.

"Our commitment goes far beyond environmental issues, it is about making the world a better place by giving a voice to a youth that has long been deprived of it," says Roberta Medina, Vice President of Rock in Africa. Rio. She is the daughter of the founder of the festival which will take place on September 27, 28 and 29 and October 3,4,5 and 6.

So that all this youth feels represented, the programming is more eclectic, with days devoted to Hip Hop (Drake), Pop (Pink), Rock (Foo Fighters, Muse) but also to pure metal (Iron Maiden).

But beyond the headliners of the main stage, other concerts offer duets specially created for the occasion, like that of the English singer Seal with Brazilian Xenia França.

"Playing Rock in Rio is always + bestial +," enthuses Andreas Kisser, guitarist of the Sepultura group and iconic figure of the Brazilian metal, on display in virtually every edition since 1991.

"I also went as a spectator in 1985 and there was already Iron Maiden and Scorpions, who are coming back this year.We will relive all that, it will be a historic day for the metal", he confides to the AFP.

On October 4th, Sepultura will present an exclusive song on the new album to be released in February.

- Tree plantation -

On stage, Andreas Kisser will wear a special rainbow-colored guitar, a message of tolerance towards the LGBT community, quite mistreated under Jair Bolsonaro.

"Anything that values ​​respect for differences is important, and people need to understand that there are different ways of thinking about love, the family," he says.

For him, intolerance is back "because our president comes out a speech that denotes a lack of respect and education."

As for the Amazon, hot topic with the upsurge of forest fires, the guitarist recalls that Sepultura denounces deforestation since the 90s with the albums "Chaos AD" (1993) or "Roots" (1996).

"We have always addressed this problem in our songs, but unfortunately, it remains relevant," he laments.

"Brazil has always been a chaos in environmental matters (...) Much progress has been made in recent years, but unfortunately we are literally throwing everything in the trash," he concludes.

At Rock in Rio, organizers will ensure that bins are less filled with non-recyclable items, with "strong restrictions imposed on suppliers," says Roberta Medina, who promises that "100% of waste will be recycled or reused" .

The site that received the 2016 Olympics will turn into a real amusement park, with big eight or zipline, but also facilities to promote sustainable development.

One of them, at the Olympic velodrome level, will offer spectators "a sensory experience" with screenings to sensitize spectators.

Autographed guitars or other celebrity items that have played at the festival have been auctioned to fund a reforestation project in the Amazon that has already replanted three million trees since 2016.

© 2019 AFP