Gabrovo stopped to watch Dilma.
In a country lacking in deceit, Dilma gained celebrity status; public employees were given the afternoon off and students had their classes suspended.
On the balconies of the old houses along the streets of Gábrovo where Dilma Rousseff would pass, residents even organized small parties among friends to have a privileged view of the Brazilian president's passage. Public employees were given the afternoon off, and students had their classes suspended. In a country lacking idols, Dilma gained the status of a personality. Yesterday in Gábrovo was a day of celebration and a pause in the election campaign – all to celebrate the “Bulgarian president of Brazil”.
In the city, with 60 inhabitants, Dilma's father was born, who left Bulgaria in 1930. The visitor doesn't speak a single word of Bulgarian and had never been to the country. But, on her idol's day, she gave autographs and even caused the president to be ignored. At one point, a boy asked a man near Dilma to let him pass – and only then realized he had seen him on TV. 'I think I know you, sir,' the boy said to Bulgarian President Georg Parvanov.
On the streets, Brazilian and Bulgarian flags mingled. "Dilma is Gabrovo's first world celebrity," boasted Boiana Bauava, a high school senior. While Dilma was giving her speech, two girls even fainted.
Friends Ivan Ivanov, 12, and Tomisou Tchukov, 11, were given permission by their parents to skip soccer practice yesterday. “We wanted to see Dilma,” said Tomisou. He had his knowledge of Brazilian culture at his fingertips. “I know it’s the country of coffee, the third largest country in the world, and that it has Pelé and Ronaldinho,” said the boy who dreams of one day visiting the Maracanã stadium.
Overkill
To support this phenomenon, the recovery of the Roussev family's history was accelerated. In the city museum, birth certificates, documents, photos, and testimonies showed that Dilma had roots in the region and that politicians were among her relatives. She even tried out a few words in Bulgarian, drawing enthusiastic applause.
However, exaggerations soon followed. "It's good to see that someone from this city could one day be so powerful," ventured 17-year-old student Alexandra. (Information from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.)