Ever since I saw Children of God (amazing, you should rent it), I’ve been somewhat fascinated with Rio De Janeiro’s slums, known as favelas. Recently, the compelling searing social commentary of a similarly high-minded film, Fast Five, brought us back to the favela, and once again, my fascination has been stirred anew. Well, for those of you like me who are intrigued by this Brazilian underworld, Current TV has a new special airing next week called “City of God, Guns, and Gangs” (airing as part of the investigative series Vanguard), and it promises to take us into the favela as the city attempts to crack down on gangs and crime in advance of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. Looks gritty and depressing. Fun!
Of course, had I been in control, I would have named the special “My Favorite Favela,” but that’s just me.
Check it out on Tuesday, July 19th at 9 PM on Current.
Children of God = City of God. A typo but the link leads one to the right place. May I also recommend City of Men? It is a series, also situated in the favelas, that shows two young boys (stars from the film City of God) as they come of age while dealing with the issues that come about growing up in the favela. Both gritty and fun(really!), it’s depicts a multidimensional view of the neighborhood, instead of just focusing on gang life. (There is also a film to tie up the series although a lot more violent than the series.)
I used to volunteer in several favelas in Rio and although the lack of sewage and garbage pickup would turn my stomach, it was a mellow place, full of families, small shops, and kids playing soccer. The only time I felt nervous was during the Baile Funk parties. These parties were housed in a large warehouse type space, with loud music, flashing lights, and security in the form of teens with very large guns. Have you ever seen a boy with a shotgun strapped to his back that was covered in Flintstone stickers? Holding a beer? ‘Dichotomy’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. These kids were part of the drug gangs and responsible for throwing the parties and maintaining the peace. So, as nervous as I was to see such large guns being carried by adolescents imbibing alcohol, I had to acknowledge that nothing of note ever happened. Well, except for that time a guy that tried to dance with me by grinding his Glock-laden crotch against mine. I’ve never turned a guy down so politely in my life.
I too have been in the favelas. Once I was in the one at the base of the Redentor and after negotiating the running water & piles of garbage, I sat in someone’s downstairs house. Little kids kept sticking thier hands in through the cracks and petting my blond hair. I didn’t feel unsafe there ever. I was more nervous getting off the bus & having to jump over someone’s candle & offering. I was afraid I’d knock the darn candle over. I lived in Grajau & worked in Jacarepagua. Where did you live?
Hey Liz. I lived in Santa Teresa and worked in Final Feliz most of the time. But I did photography for NGO’s (volunteer) and was sent to several favelas like Dona Marta and Morro da Formiga to document the children’s programs there.
The kids are amazing! They are really open and curious about foreigners and love to learn all about them. Especially when they look really different. Are you blonde? lol Oh wait..I just read back, you are! Haha..yes, the kids love blonde hair. I’m brown-skinned so I blended in with the locals and most people didn’t know I wasn’t Brazilian until they heard my accented Portuguese. Then I was charged tourist prices. lol!
When I returned to Brazil to work as a tour guide, I always recommened the favela tour in Rio, conducted by an affiliate of the company I worked for. The Rio company is called Be A Local and takes small groups to the Rocinha favela (the largest in South America). Such a fun tour, especially speeding on the back of a moto taxi (a guy on his motorcycle) up into the hills. My groups loved it! Plus, the proceeds went to funding a day care center for working moms. And the drug gangs were cool about us wandering about because the money went towards the local population. Win-win.
Hi Sarcastire,
I remember Santa Teresa. I made the tram conductor laugh because I rode the tram a couple of times. He initially made me feel like a caipirihna (which I am since I was born in Belem) He thought I was nuts for riding it a couple of times the same day. But it was fun!
Jeeze, Ant Hill really describes the favelas, doesn’t it?
I was born to missionaries and returned to stay with my godmother after high school. We left when I was only 9 months old because I contracted TB from our cook who unfortunately died of it. My Mom was a nurse & she was instrumental in establishing a clinic that is now across the street from the Orchidario downtown.
Lucky! I wanted to ride the tram but it was never around. And one day we saw and my friend and I hopped on but it was too crowded for a seat so we had to hang from the outside. That was fine and well until I almost was clipped by a sideview mirror from a parked car. So we hopped off. As much as I wanted to ride over the arches of Lapa, I was too chicken to do so hanging from the outside of the bonde.
What does caipirinha mean? (besides the drink, lol) Is it for anyone who isn’t Carioca or only for those born in Belem?
I’m sorry to hear you contracted TB and that your cook died from it. Sounds like your mom did a lot of great work in Brazil, clinics are so necessary there. I had a guy in one of my groups that got severe food poisoning (tap water in Venezuela) and I had to take him to a free clinic in Sao Luis. We were on a boat when he fell really ill and it took the ambulance an hour to reach where we docked. Then they made him walk (he thought he was having a heart attack) because they couldn’t roll the stretcher on sand. At the clinic, other patients arrived by taxi. Smart people. The wait was long but the docs were competent and pleasant. They diagnosed the guy based on his blood work, gave him an IV (missing his vein only once), and even injected some B-12 shots into his bottom. (Ever had to translate “Don’t clench your butt cheeks” to a man old enough to be your father? Awkward.) The doc prescribed antibiotics, and discharged him with a smile, not a bill. How awesome! Especially for the poorer citizens of Brazil who can’t afford healthcare and can still seek treatment in an emergency.
I used to stay overnight in Belem, when disembarking from the Amazon river boat from Manaus. There is some beautiful colonial architecture there but most of it has fallen to ruin. The stuff that is restored is breathtaking. I didn’t see any favelas from our position in the city, but I saw plenty of graffiti from the CV (Comando Vermelho, or Red Command..the most notorious drug gang in Brazil). I had no idea these guys were outside of Rio!
Movie trivia: The Runts, the boy gang that terrorized the favelas in City of God, grew up and formed the Red Command. Isn’t that nuts?
Just remembered another film you may like, B-side. Elite Squad..about a special task force, like a SWAT team, that is responsible for doing what the police cannot in terms of the war against drug gangs. In the film, they are attempting to eradicate the gangs from Rio in time for the arrival of the Pope. Great film.
Bus 174, is a documentary about a street kid taking a bus hostage. It it the saddest, most realistic portrait of life in Rio for favelados (slum-dwellers).