The sertão has turned to dust. It looks as though all plants under a meter have left the area. Only the thorny bushes with small, hard leaves have any green at all. There is a constant, hot wind that blows through the dry leaves and dust in Baixio Grande. Fine sand penetrates the closed windows and doors of every house, all surfaces have turned yellowish. Adriana is on a visit in Baixio Grande, she has taken her entire annual leave in order to help her mother, who has just had an eye operation. After having completed her studies, she now works at the public administration in Assaré. She and her father Alcacio built a milking station, which was financed with state subsidies. The two of them cannot buy the five dairy cows needed to begin operating the station, as the drought has stopped all production of animal fodder.
All pastures are already equipped with irrigation systems and electric fences; resilient elephant grass (Miscanthus x giganteus) is used, but it doesn’t seem to want to really grow. The heat of more than 40 degrees and the lack of water prevent all agriculture. Adriana cleans the house every day with a bucket of water from the drilled well, which supplies the house with running water. Strangely, small rivulets of water trickle from the house every day, while outside the noon heat renders the landscape silent. Even the birds search for protection in the few shady spots there are. A tenacious boredom has spread throughout the valley. Coupled with a portion of hopelessness, it weighs heavy on the people. Not much is said, there is only the sound of the television. And there appear to be only two channels at the moment: the Bible channel and the weather channel. The latter of which bears no good news.
Alcacio decides to cut down some trees in order to repair his fences. It is a good time for this – the ongoing drought has dried out the trees, they can be used without needing to be stored first. Adriana remains hopeful that it will rain in a few weeks. She spends her time growing seedlings for the pastures and fruit for home. Alcacio talks with Adriana’s uncle Antonio in the back yard. They deliberate if and when they should sell the grazing livestock. Together, Alcacio and Antonio still have more than 50 cattle which are roaming alone through the Caatinga. Alcacio bought 30 sheep. They manage better in the heat and with the small amounts of available fodder. Only the parasites, spurred on by the heat, are a nuisance to the animals.
The only bright spot is the election party at their house which will bring them all together next Sunday. They have already distributed the yellow-green-blue signs throughout the whole valley and put up stickers with the number “51”. Adailton, one of Adriana’s cousins, wants to be a representative for the city council in Assaré. He enlisted the help of the whole extended family for this purpose. Everyone has passed out ballad cards with his name and the “51”, has gone from house to house, speaking with every neighbor. A welcome change to the otherwise prevailing idleness. Adriana’s mother Selma prepares breakfast every Sunday morning. She sings along with the radio, her voice can be heard in every room. In front of the house, Adailton has arrived in his wine-red Volkswagen Passat. He opens the trunk to reveal two oversized loudspeakers, under which are a couple of cases of vodka. Just as the men want to take the boxes into the house, Selma’s singing stops. The men and Adriana see her crying next to the radio. The news was just announced that there will be no precipitation in the northeast of Brazil over the next months, and so the UN has called an emergency conference in order to organize relief efforts for the inhabitants of the Brazilian hinterland.
