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"They said it came from Maximiano, a womaniser in our family," recalls farmer Lolô, whose daughter Rejane has Spoan.

He still tends cattle and relies on family to care for Rejane, who struggles with daily tasks.

Rejane recalls how people used to be called "cripples".

Shaded by a tree from the burning late-morning sun, Coelho and Rejane Soares, the bloco’s harmony director, reminisced about the parades they had put on in the past.

“She brought something to Rasa that no politician would bring: self-confidence,” said Rejane Oliveira, her niece and disciple.