On Thursday, November 4, 2021, Laura Arantes, also known as Laurinha, woke up earlier than usual. In the agenda, a special commitment: to be the first person to be enumerated by the 2022 Population Census Dress Rehearsal in the neighborhood of Amaralina, in Salvador. 

Laurinha lives in Amaralina for 51 years and hosted an IBGE enumerator for the first time in the new address, to which she moved in the end of 2010. It also houses the studio that she works as a visual artist. Yet, Laurinha became famous in the early 1980s as one of the first singers in an electric trio in Bahia, i.e., one of the pioneers of axe music. 

This time, the message broadcast was another one: “We need to show the real socioeconomic condition of Brazil. This is the importance of the Census. When the enumerators come, we need to host them with affection and provide them all the information, knowing that everything is confidential.” 

And this microphone was so loud as the electrified sound of a trio, since the beginning of the household collection of the Dress Rehearsal in Amaralina was followed by the major TV stations of Salvador and reported by the most important communication vehicles of Salvador.

“Finally we will have the much expected Census. We need to update the data!,” celebrated reporter Giana Mattazi, from Bahia TV, affiliate of Globo TV, as soon as she arrived to a live interview about the Dress Rehearsal in Amaralina to Morning News, the news with the larger audience in the state. 

Besides Bahia TV, three other TV stations were present in the launching of the operation (Itapoan/Record TV, Aratu/SBT TV and TVE/Educadora TV) and the major newspaper/news portal of Salvador (Correio*). 

Bandnews Salvador radio and the newspaper/website Tribuna da Bahia interviewed through telephone and a number of other portals reported the beginning of the pilot operation.

In the Luís Eduardo Magalhães Foundation (FLEM), in Amaralina, the launching event of the Dress Rehearsal gathered nearly 50 people, virtually filling the auditorium up, though respecting the social distancing required by the health security. 

In addition to the census teams in Bahia, comprising state, area and sub-area coordinators, it also counted with the participation of Tânia Scofield, president of the Mário Leal Ferreira Foundation (FMLF), representing the mayor of Salvador, Zilton Kruger Netto, under-mayor of the Amaralina area, Álvaro da Silveira Filho, under-secretary of Mobility of Salvador (SEMOB), and Rodrigo Hita, president of FLEM. 

On the IBGE side, Artur Ferreira Filho, head of the State Unit of Bahia (UE-BA), Francisco Brito, Census operational coordinator in the state, and Therence de Sarti, representing the Directorate of Geosciences (DGC), participated in the event. David Montero, advisor of the Census Operational Coordination (COC), was present as well.

“The results of the Census will be key to the planning of Salvador over the next years. We count on them to update Salvador Data, a platform with geo-referenced statistical information that subsidizes projects and actions of the municipal secretariats and offices,” stated Tânia Scofield, offering full support of the city hall of Salvador, not only to the Dress Rehearsal, but also to the Census itself.

A support that was reinforced by every partner present. “The Census and its information are so important that it mobilizes all the government instances, federal, state and municipal, here together working for the success of the survey,” stated Rodrigo Hita, from FLEM. 

“The Census is essential even to the IBGE, to our statistical work plan over the next ten years. This unprecedented test in the state not only provides us an even better operation, but it is also regrouping the teams and reheating the engines for 2022,” concludes Ferreira Filho, thanking and congratulating the entire UE-BA´s team.