Rio de Janeiro (AFP)

Gabriella runs as fast as she can to secure a place in paradise: against the grid, right in front of the stage, for the concert of her idol, the Canadian rapper Drake, at the Brazilian mega-festival Rock in Rio.

Coming from Sao Paulo, six hours drive from Rio de Janeiro, she made all the sacrifices to see the artist closely Friday: "I left my job to go see Drake," exclaimed the young brunette 19 years old, still breathless from her frantic race.

"I had been working in a telemarketing box for three months, and when I was hired, I told him that I had already bought my place for Rock in Rio, but when the time came, he did not give me leave so I resigned, "she says, molded into a white tank top.

"I do not regret anything, but Drake, please, refund me the price of the place," implores Gabriella, who has paid more than 500 reais (about 110 euros) for the ticket for a day, about half of the minimum wage in Brazil.

Ana Luiza, she came from even further: this 21-year-old black-haired girl with pink hair has traveled more than 12 hours by bus from Piracicaba, a city in the rural region of Sao Paulo State.

She wears her favorite accessory: socks in the colors of the rainbow, symbol of the LGBT movement.

"I want to show that I respect diversity, it's very important," says Ana Luiza. A diversity increasingly questioned in a country ruled since January by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, famous for its racist, macho or homophobic slippage.

Leonam, 21, did not hesitate to go to the festival wearing pink candy overalls.

"As soon as I bought my place, I told myself that I needed to attract attention when I came in. I wanted to show my personality and I love pink, which is a color that goes well with spirit of the festival, "looses this inhabitant of Rio.

"People come here to take full advantage of it, outside, everything is more difficult, violence and prejudice have increased a lot," he laments.

- Luigi in skirt -

In order to defeat machismo clichés, a fan of "cosplay" - who makes and wears the costume of a superhero - came in a female version of Luigi, the character of the video game Super Mario.

"I wanted to reinvent this character to upset this notion of genre," said Mariana Montenegro, 31, radiant in his suit adapted green with a skirt instead of overalls.

Jefferson, 26, from Recife (Northeast), chose to come wearing a fuchsia plush furry unicorn costume.

"When I saw him in the shop, I thought, this is what I need for Rock in Rio," he smiles.

"I like all styles, in fact, in previous editions, I always came on metal day to see Slipknot or Sepultura, but this time I could not miss Drake," he adds. while, behind him, a symphony orchestra repeats a classic version of a piece of Metallica.

The Rock in Rio festival does everything to include young people of all styles and trends, with an eclectic program, such as heavy metal band Iron Maiden, headliner on October 4, or pop singer Pink, the next day.

But first and foremost, it's a very commercial event, with sponsors appearing everywhere, especially in strategic places where viewers immortalize the moment with selfies shared by thousands on social networks.

© 2019 AFP