22nd March
Favelicious!!!
The biggest favela.
We were only aloud to take the picture in this angle,
behind me we weren't aloud to take any pictures
Rio De Janeiro.
You can see Christ on the top of the left mountain.
But he's very tiny.
This morning we are diving deep into the culture of Brazil by going on a Favela (Slum) tour with Favela Tour company. We meet at 9 am at the hostel and after a misunderstanding about the bookings we get on the way. The story begins with Martha the tour guide going through some safety procedures to make us feel at ease. Then we climb into the hills to our first stop and it's the Rocinha Favela. This is the biggest in Brazil and houses over 300,000 people. The way these favelas were generated was because they came to build the touristy beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon. The people did not want to commute to work for hours, so they set up residence on the hills surrounding the work place. When they built their house the next person came along and built theirs on top and so on, hence the different structures and different colours. The favelas were much more dangerous places when they first started, now however they are cleaner and safer, but not by much. They have running water, sewage system and cable tv all because of the agreements made with the government. All of these services are pretty much borrowed from the government without the intention of paying anyone back.
The favelas themselves were only put on the map around 1993, before that Rio government was trying to pretend that they didn't exist.What we think of these places is not actually the case. Yes they are in poverty, and yes they have problems but overall they are hardworking people, and you will never see a beggar on the streets of Rio, unlike our European cities. To beg in Brazil is considered shameful and hence not so many people do it.
Rocinha-The biggest favela.
At our first stop we were allowed to take some pictures, however only in a certain direction because otherwise there are people that are known as "hawks" will alert the bosses of the drug squad and you get your camera taken off at gun point. The general feel of the place is of mayhem and working people trying to live. It is dirty, and it is dingy, but what isn't on this world. As we drive through it we see everyday things, shops, bars, internet cafes, they are all here. It is like a closed community. They have schools and in the process of building a police department as the next step to eliviate the drug problem. The other extreme is that the richest part of the city is right on the border with the favelas and is therefore divided by a house (lucky guy that lives in that house).
A room in a favela with a view!
Borrowed electricity!
Smile you are on Fav - Cam!
We walk a bit through the streets to get the general feel of the place, and back into the van to visit favela no.2. This favela is tiny, and houses only 2,500 people. Nestled between the threes and mingling with the rich part of town. We stop off at a school which we are sponsoring by taking this tour, and see kids playing, learning etc. We then walk the narrow alleyways of the favela. It feels very cramped but friendly and people are carrying on with their lives even though the tourist wonder around here twice a day. The society in the favelas is multi ethnic and you can see people of any colour or creed. This is welcoming news and makes the favelas a more civilized place in my eyes. Overall this trip was very informative and great to understand the people of Brazil as they make up 20 % of the population that live in the favelas.
Where the 3 streets meet!
Where Rio de Janeiro began!
Criminal Section on the Favelas.
The drug lords run the favelas and in exchange for keeping the people inside safe, they get to hide out there. Everything that comes in and out of the favela is watched by "hawks", people on roofes of houses. In the case of trouble, drugs coming in, and any other activity the "hawks" set off fireworks in order to inform the people that something is going down. Also for us tourists to be able to visit the favela there are certain rules that we must abide by, they are a) the windows must be open in the cars or vans while driving through (this is so they can see you) and b) you must not mention the word drugs or talk about the drug lords in the favela. There are a lot of guns and knives within the favela and the rate of crime is still high. The police are trying to flush them out, but at the moment it has not worked.
After all the slumming around we have to go and get tanned on the beach as it is our last day in Rio, and a steak dinner to finish a great day.
Angela & David
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