A country of aspiration

As President Lula leaves office, what has been the legacy of one of the most popular politicians in Brazilian history?

On 1 January, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won Brazil’s presidency with a landmark win in 2002, leaves office with record approval ratings and a successful economic record.

In this two-part series, the BBC’s Paulo Cabral travels to the two places that marked Lula’s life – the poor region in the northeast where the president was born, and the industrial suburb of Sao Paulo where he made his reputation.

Paulo finds a Brazil with a rapidly expanding middle class, but with many areas still in need of government help.

He visits impressive infrastructure projects, but encounters big bottlenecks. He talks to everyone from IT entrepreneurs to illiterate farm-workers.

Is life now better for everyone in Brazil?