João Freitas Filho is a self-made man, CEO of two companies, Alfa Drinks and Dureino Industries. From businessman to environmentalist, he keeps an area of 1,027 hectares of legal reserve, called “Nazareth Eco”. In this area there are at least 272 specimens of officially registered birds, many of them are known to be at risk of extinction and are in dire need of attention. He is equally distinguished as a philanthropist, founder of a non-governmental organization called “ONG + Vida”. João is also a poet. He writes for the Brazilian Chamber of Writers and Poets of Piauí. In 2010 he created a website which became the most popular poetry site in Brazil. Finally, during these last years, he fell in love with the art of photography. He captures images around the world using his sensitivity as a defining factor. João is passionate about everything he does.
VAQUEJADA
E a porteira se abre,
Libertando o boi aflito.
O vaqueiro sujo alinha o cavalo,
O esteira entrega-lhe o rabo trêmulo,
A faixa de cal adiante é o limite.
Numa puxada precisa,
Desequilibra o boi corrido
Que despenca na terra frouxa,
Pernas tensas para o ar,
Medo estampado no chão.
Aplausos da platéia atenta
Que aguarda o veredicto do juiz.
Valeu, o boi!
O vaqueiro vibra na vitória,
Mas não valeram os maus-tratos.
(Poem by João Freitas Filho)
“Vaquejadaâ€: the game of tackling the animal by the tail by a mounted cowboy. It is the most traditional festival in the cattle cycle in Northeast Brazil, specially in Piaui.