RIO GRANDE DO SUL: Riding with the gaúcho
BAHIA: Have Ford, will travel
MINAS GERAIS: Franco the noisy populist
Turning banks into tax collectors
Some say the Brazilian state of Bahia boasts three religions - catholicism with its European origins, candomblé brought by slaves from west Africa and ACM, a uniquely Brazilian phenomenon. The initials ACM stand for Antônio Carlos Magalhães, the president of the senate in Brasília, and the strongman whose every word carries weight in Bahia. He is described variously as the viceroy, the emperor and even the god of the territory. He may only be a politician but in his home state he attracts a religious following.
In Salvador, the state capital, children put up posters of Magalhães alongside their favourite pop stars. A civil servant shows the photograph she carries in her wallet as her own personal defence...
