A Darker Side of Rio
As we live it up in beautiful Rio, the reality of how much of the population here lives is never far away.
Favelas, the slum areas of Brazil, dot the countryside – in fact, there are 350 of these impromptu villages in Brazil, many of them within Rio’s city limits. Run by drug lords and gangs, the favelas are a side of Brazil few tourists venture into – so of course, we have to check it out.
We choose to visit Rocinha, the largest favela in Latin America, where 200,000 people live in makeshift homes. The sights, sounds and smells of this community are an in-your-face reminder that there are no government services here– no electrical power, no water, no police, no sewage systems and no garbage removal. Fifty-five percent of the kids between the ages of 4-13 attend the four schools in the favela – many of the rest are “put to work”, begging on the streets of Rio. Two hospitals here attempt to service the needs of this huge community, suffering from ailments we haven’t seen in Canada in decades.
We are told that people born in favelas will generally die in favelas. We are shocked to learn that many of the hotel and restaurant staff who has welcomed us to Rio lives here. We question our tipping practices.
As we walk through the narrow streets, we are often told to put away our cameras – not for concern over theft, but because we are passing through armed gang-member areas. When surprise visits from the federal police (mostly corrupt) occur in a favela, gunfights are sure to erupt. Three weeks ago, an 11 year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet. In the words of our guide, “gunshots are the way most people here will die.” We hope he was exaggerating.
Life in a favela, of course, isn’t all bad. A rich artistic and musical community thrives here and the sounds of samba and artwork capturing life here are never far away.
Our tour guide is from Be a Local tours, an organization which seeks to educate the outside world about favelas, while striving to change them. The day we visit, we bring chocolate Easter eggs for the kids. The profits from the tours fund a wonderful day care centre.
It comes as no surprise, I’m sure, that this month’s Brel Drop in the Ocean Foundation has selected he Rocinha Daycare as its cause. If you’re interested in donating, you can do so here: http://bealocal.com
Our visit to Rocinha won’t soon be forgotten – and is a sombre reminder that there is a lot more to Brazil than caiparinhas and beaches.
Tags: Brazil, Travel
pichemelanie
April 10th, 2008 at 8:16 am
the story of life in a favela was told amazingly in “The City of God”.
many countries have ‘townships’ similar to a brazilian favela. i visited a few in south africa, and it was heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time.
October 18th, 2008 at 11:59 am
That amazes me.
My cousin is in Brazil at the moment and mentioned she wont even go near the outskirts of a Favela on a tour bus, due to them being so dangerous.
I plan to visit Brazil in a few months and am very intrigued by it all.. I definately plan to check out the “Darker Side”.. I’ll be a bit nervous however, as i have only ever heard disturbing things about them!