Life in Favela of Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

20 Janeiro 2012 meeting of DJ's na Rocinha

2012-01-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

Update on SPIN R0CINHA

2012-01-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

Beginning of our DJ School- SPIN ROCINHA & Rocinha Media School

2011-09-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

For over 10 years, I have had people ask me to teach them to dj. I think that everyone who is a dj has had friends ask them to teach them. Dj schools are rare and most dj’s are self taught. It starts out as a love for music, then getting some tables in your bedroom and practicing. Depending on your skills and desire, some venture out into playing in bars or clubs. Almost all of us at one time has done the family party or wedding. Putting your time in on the decks has its perks. For me it was being able to play in front of a crowd and gain experience. I had the opportunity to play a lot outside of Brazil too, which was great. I played mostly Brazilian parties and funk music was my love. My home for about 8 years was San Francisco so I had the opportunity to play in many clubs there. I will never forget the “Underground”, “Pink” and “el Rio” as some of my home clubs.

So, out of all of this, about 2 years ago I decided that I wanted to make something special here in Rocinha. There were many people in the favela that wanted me to start a English school but for me, I would rather start something that is my passion. There are already English schools here. I started asking people around the community if they were interested. Many showed interest, then I decided to research about how I was to do this. I had told many people from facebook my idea. Everybody said go for it.

About 5 months ago a Dj Phi Pham, from New York contacted me about the dj school and said they wanted to be a part. I told them about my contacts with dj’s here and our plan to have free classes. But I needed help with equipment. Electronics here are very expensive, probably close to triple what the costs are in the United States.

During this same time many more people were interested in this project. Harry Daley a dj from Canada, had contacted me after reading my blog and I put him in contact with Phi in New York. After a few months Harry took a trip to New York to meet Phi and talk about their project called “Building Beats”. Their idea is to help fund dj/music projects in poor areas.

I had some equipment but had to find a way to get more. If we are going to have a good school, we need enough equipment for people to practice on. Ryan, a friend of mine from San Diego put me in contact with a woman who was interested in projects going on here in the favela. I met Lea Rekow one day while showing her Tio Lino’s art school. After seeing the art school, I told her about my idea of making a dj school. She became interested and we started meeting and talking about organizing how we would do this.

She has much experience in doing this kind of thing. Her experience covers many areas including film making and curating large art shows in New York. We set the plan in motion. My job was to find a place to have the classes, find the students, advertise in the favela, buy the notebooks, the white board and host Ryan and Harry for a month. They both brought dj equipment down with them. Lea had friends who donated equipment, website hosting and development. We have both put in a lot of time to get this project off the ground.

We had our open house on August 1st and started the classes on August 15th. We have classes every Monday and Wednesday for now. Eventually we will expand when we find a new space. For now, we are running the school out of my living room. This is just temporary until we secure a good location. The classes run for about 90 minutes. We have nine students that include 6 guys and 3 women. The ages of the students are from 13 up to 34 years old. I absolutely love this project as it is off to a great start and already we are getting interest from other residents who want to take part in the next set of classes.

In order to expand we are always looking for new/used equipment. Lea handles all monetary donations. So, if you have interest to help us expand the program you can contact Lea at info@rocinhamediaschool.org

Below is a video on youtube of our Open House that happened on August 1st, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjodZv-31iA
Please cut and paste into your browser as I have no idea through this blog how to make a link..

Kay Fochtmann- Germany - Living in Rocinha

2011-09-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

- Can you tell me your name, where you are from?
My name is Kay Fochtmann and I am from Leipzig, Germany

- Why did you come to Brasil?
I came to Brazil because I am a geography student of the University of Leipzig writing his final thesis about Favela-Tourism. I have been to Brazil 9 years ago and I just fell in love with the country and its people and ever since I wanted to come back and stay a little longer, get to know a Brazil, a Rio, far from the tourist spots.

- When you arrived where did you live?
I lived in Rua Farani, Botafogo, for a month in a small apartment which I shared with another friend from Germany.

- How did you find out about favelas?
Well, I first saw Favelas during my trip to Brazil in 2002. I knew they existed because I read a lot of travel-guides to prepare myself for the trip but when I actually saw them and especially how many there are I was still overwhelmed and somehow fascinated of the structure / architecture and how people can survive. After I returned to Germany I read some books and a lot of articles and of course, also my geography-studies dealt with Favelas.

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?
My actual plan was to do an internship in a Favela and to hand out questionnaires to the tourists taking a Favela-tour because I was interested in their motivation and the image they have of a Favela before they actually saw one. So I wrote to a lot of Rio’s Favela-Tour-Guides and finally you were so kind to give me the opportunity to be a part of your tours and you even invited me to actually live in Rocinha, a thought that actually never crossed my mind. My plan was to meet the guide at the pick-up-point, hand out the questionnaires, join the tours and leave when the tour is over. I must admit I really had to think about your proposal since I read and heard a lot of bad things about Favelas and since every guide-book I know strongly recommends Rio-visitors not to enter any Favela without a guide, let alone to live there. My decision to move in was based on the emails we exchanged and because I found it only fair to live in the Favela, experience the same conditions – the good and the bad ones – if I want to write about that place and its people! And as stupid as it sounds I won’t deny that I was also driven by a tiny bit of thirst for adventure and regarded that as a once-in-a-lifetime-thing. (Luckily now I can say that I hopefully will come back soon.)

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas?
Thanks to the new media you access a lot of information really easily and find what you are looking for. If it wasn’t for the internet I would have never thought about entering a Favela and doing my project. I knew that it’s a slum, that there are different districts within a Favela, some poorer, some better off. I read about horrible sanitation, infrastructure and the influence of the drug-traffickers. Well, let’s say there is a lot of information you can find about how bad the situation is but rather less about the good stuff, especially the people and the miracle. But then again, if you really look for that kind of news you can find them but you need to dig a lot deeper.

- Since living here, have your impressions of favelas changed much?
Sure. And I am very glad about it as it wouldn’t have changed didn’t I actually live there for three months.

- What do you like about living in the favela?
There were so many things I liked and it’s all about the people. The way they treat each other, the way they help one another. Of course these social interactions are born out of necessity but they do work. People share things: the owner of one apartment has a TV, everybody comes in to watch TV, one of the guests has washing machine, so he can offer the people to wash their clothes, others have a computer and internet access - people share, people help each other. People know each other. I was out of water for several days and I wanted to buy some water down at the little market and one of the workers just offered me to use his shower and I rarely knew him. I was overwhelmed. I liked that there is a big sense of community, that you are respected. And I, too, respect the people living under the conditions they live in and knowing how to survive with dignity and pride. I liked learning about all the things that matter, all the knots that are holding this community together. That is just something you can read about but never really understand unless you didn’t experience it at first hand. Living in Rocinha felt like two things: living in a state within a state and on the other hand living in a small village where everybody knows his neighbor.

- What don’t you like?
As there are many things I liked about the Favela, there are many things I didn’t like. Teen pregnancy is one of them. And the fact that it seems completely normal to guys in their twenties+ to start flirting with 12-year-old girls. And what disturbed me most is the fact that the girls seem to like it. I wanted to blame the men but it’s not that easy. It is hard as there is a lack of role models for guys and girls in the Favelas. It seems like most young girls want to be models and most young guys want to be in the soccer-stars or be a kingpin in drug-trade when they are grown-ups. So, beauty seems to be a much more important issue than education to a lot of girls and for older guys those girls are an easy target as they feed their appetite for recognition. Of course another disturbing thing is the presence of guns, especially in the hand of teenagers. As I never had any problems with those kinds of guys it is still certain that a place filled with guns is a dangerous one. There is a lot more to write but in case someone wants to know something, feel free to contact me via email.

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?
Besides the things that come into your mind at first like solving the garbage-problem, teach the kids self-respect and so on, I think one important thing would be to make Favelas and their inhabitants more visible to Brazil’s middle- and upper class. Visible in the context of how life is really like for its people and that not everybody chose to live under those conditions and that not everybody is a poor, lazy bum or a drug-lord. I met people who were working 5 (five!!) jobs to make ends meet, who get up at 6 in the morning and work til 3 at night! It is such a contradiction that, especially in Rio, you can see Favelas from every part of town and so little is known about the lives of the people living there, especially strange because every middle- and upper-class family has a housekeeper who is most likely from a Favela. So there are lots of knots where those different classes connect and there is still no further interest in trying to tear down prejudices. They might rather believe the news than believe the words of the woman who takes care of their children every day. How sad is that?

- Has your experience been worthwhile?
Absolutely! I made a lot of dear friends and learned so much about living in a Favela. Knowledge which can only be gained through experience.

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?
Well, in case he/she still has doubts whether to do it or not: DO IT, GO!!!
Otherwise: be open, smile, don’t take yourself too seriously – and you will learn to be happier with less.

- Would you come back to live here again?
No doubt.

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?
Not really, I think I said everything that came into my mind. I mean, there really is a book to write but for now I will leave it at that. Anyone got further questions: shot!

Thanks a lot for the interview, Zezinho

A very Special Visitor

2011-08-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

Berit Ollestad ccontacted me over a year ago to tell me that she had been to the favela before but wanted to return. She and her husband had made some friends here in Rocinha and wanted to return to check up on them and bring some donations to the families. She had contacted me and decided to stay in the favela for about a week. Her stay consisted of visiting her friends and making new ones. I introduced her to Tio Lino's Mundo de Arte (Art School) and to a daycare that needed much help. I think she enjoyed her stay and has already booked her ticket to return in October. I look forwards to seeing her again. Here is a interview that I made with her about Brazil, Rocinha and her work.

- Tell me a little about yourself, Can you tell me your name, where you are from?

My name is Berit Ollestad and I currently live in Morristown, New Jersey and I was born and raised in Seattle,Wa. I met my husband Luis in Seattle while working in the same industry. Luis is originally from Lisbon, Portugal. My husband's career has taken us to Brazil, Miami, Puerto Rico, Chicago and most recently NJ. We have a four year old named Annika and a five year old named Mateo.

I enjoy getting involved in humanitarian efforts on local, national & international levels. My latest project that I take a lot of pride in was coordinating a relief effort for the people of Alabama that were affected by the violent storms (tornadoes) back in April. I managed to get UPS to donate a semi-truck to my town, for us to fill it with supplies such as food, cleaning supplies, diapers, etc. for the victims.

- When did you first come to Brasil?

I first visited Brazil in September of 2002 for a 'house hunting" trip thru my husband's work.

- Why Brasil?

When I first met my husband, I knew he always wanted to experience working abroad. It wasn't 'if' the opportunity presented itself; it was when and where it was going to be. I still remember when he came home and said "they wanted him to accept a 2 year assignment in Brazil". My first thought was "how am I ever going to tell my family that I was moving half way around the world?!?" Back when we moved to Brazil in 2002, the country was really starting to emerge as a 'up and comer' on the world stage. The exchange rate back then was four to one. Now I can hardly believe it, the currencies are almost the same. It has been fun to see Brazil emerge into a strong country that continues to gain more and more of a presence on the world stage.

- When you arrived where did you live?

Like most 'Americans' when I used to think of Brazil, ideas of beautiful people, gorgeous beaches, hot & steamy climate, Carnival and extreme poverty were the first things to enter my mind. I thought the entire country was much like the Northeastern regions and the jungles of the Amazon.

The city we lived in couldn't have been more different. We were living in Curitiba, which is in the South and about an hour away from Sao Paulo by air. Not only was it cold in the winter but many of the people looked just like me. They were fair skinned with light colored hair/eyes etc. Most of the original settlers to this region of Brazil were from Italy, Poland, Germany, etc. Carnival came and went with hardly a mention. But probably the biggest shocker was how the Brazilians living in Curitiba didn't fit the stereotype in the slightest, of the warm, friendly and gregarious nature that I had always associated with the Brazilian people. They were far more reserved and aloof and if I dare say at times could come off as down right rude.

- How did you find out or learn about favelas?

I remember very vividly the first time I ever saw a favela. I was flying into Rio and I saw them on the hillsides. I immediately asked my husband about them and that is when he explained what they were and he told me they were called 'favelas'. I was quite intrigued by the mystery that seemed to surround the favelas. Whenever I would try and ask people living in Brazil to explain to me the details of living in a favela, no one was willing to engage in a conversation with me. It was almost as though no one wanted to acknowledge that they existed. I kept hearing the same thing over and over; that I must NEVER enter a favela, especially God forbid By Myself!! This of course only deepened my curiosity about them. I knew at that moment, it would only be a matter of time before I entered one. But first I had to educate myself a little more before I did.

- Why did you decide to visit a favela?

As I mentioned above the mystique of what a favela was fascinated me and I wanted to see first hand what it was everyone was so fearful of. I spent time volunteering at a creche (pre-school) while I was living in Brazil. I soon discovered that many of the children at this creche lived in the various favelas located on the out-skirts of town. I could hardly believe that oftentimes you would have some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Brazil living side by side with favelas and the country's poorest of the poor.

I have always tried to live my life on the simple premise that "if you treat people how you would like to be treated and exhibit respect, then you can co-exist peacefully with one-another. I guess at some level I wanted to put this 'golden rule' to the test. Some people (actually many people) called me foolish but I really felt in my heart that the people living in the favelas had been given a bad rap and I wanted to go in and hopefully share my experience with my fellow foreign friends and other Brazilians; that you can't always believe everything you hear.

- Which favela did you visit?

I first visited a couple of the 'larger' favelas in Curitiba. Which by comparison to Rocinha, would have been considered a small neighborhood within Rocinha. Luis and I first went together on Easter and passed out the wrapped chocolate eggs to the children. Initially there was definitely skepticism on the part of the locals. But as the day wore on and they realized we were there on a 'good will' mission, the mood lightened. I visited Rocinha for the first time last September. We were going to a friend's birthday party and I had 5 suitcases that I needed to distribute. After asking around we soon found out about Rocinha and it's infamous reputation as being the largest and supposedly the most violent. Based on the fact we could walk to Rocinha from our hotel, it seemed like an obvious choice.

- Before coming here what did you know about favelas?

I really didn't know much about them except that they were very similar to what most people would call an urban slum. I always hesitate to use the word 'slum' when I'm talking about the favela, because it has such a negative connotation. Sometimes it can't be avoided though, when I'm trying to explain to others what a favela is. I knew they were heavily influenced by the drug traffickers and I assumed there was a tremendous amount of violence within the favela as well. When I first arrived into Brazil, I was made to believe that if I entered a favela, I may not make it out. But if I was fortunate enough to make it out, I most surely would be robbed of all my belongings.

- Can you explain about your experiences and the work you have done here?

I realized relatively quickly that a little goes a long way down in Brazil. Things that we don't give a second thought about; for example going out and buying for our children shoes or a box of color crayons are oftentimes out of reach for the average individual living in a favela. The prices of these items are so I inflated, it's ridiculous. So what started out by me sharing my experience with people back home in Seattle has grown exponentially. I went from taking one or sometimes two suitcases: to now taking five seventy pound suitcases once or twice a year. The majority of the items which include clothing, shoes, toys, books, toothbrushes,etc. are either donated to me by members of the community or I will go out and purchase items as well. Having a four and five year old doesn't hurt either to garner donations. I've now started involving my children by showing them photos and talking with them about "where and why mommy is taking all this stuff to the kids in Brazil". They will periodically give me toys they no longer play with and tell me "to give them to the kids in Brazil".

- Since visiting here, have you impressions of favelas changed much?

Absolutely!! Instead of being a disconnected community that is full of suffering, like I initially thought, it is quite to the contrary. There is a real sense of community and plenty of laughter to be heard and smiles to be seen. everyone appears to be respectful of one another and their right to go about their daily business.

- What do you like about life in the favela?

Just because someone is at a lower income level, it doesn't necessarily mean that living in a favela is a bad thing. I have met many people that take pride in themselves and their homes. There is a certain level of joy that emulates from the local people. I have always appreciated how the Brazilian people can enjoy the simple pleasures in life. It has been my experience that nowhere in Brazil, more than in a favela will you find people looking at the glass as half full as opposed to half empty.

- What don’t you like about life in the favela?

Unfortunately Brazil seems to still be very much of a "class" society. Oftentimes whatever income level you are born into; you stay in. This also relates to opportunities or lack of opportunities that are available to you ie.education. I also find it very dis-heartening how many young girls become pregnant, which limits their options even that much more.

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?

I would love to see equal opportunities for all Brazilians. This would include educational opportunities, proper housing, the influence of the drug trade being a thing of the past and families having more quality time with each-other as opposed to always working just to keep their head above water. This would also include males having a more influential role in their children's lives.

- Has your favela experience been worthwhile?

It has been on so many levels. It has given me a charitable outlet close to my heart to focus my energies on. It also reinforces the notion that just because someone may have limited financial resources, it doesn't mean that they can live a full-filling life.

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to come/visit here?

It's really quite simple, if you go down with a closed mind and you look for all the differences between your life and life in the favela; then you will find them. The only thing this will do is create a separation between you and the Brazilian people. But if you go and make an effort to see all the similarities between the two cultures, there will be too many to count. Now you have opened yourself up to experiencing a very special and unique culture that not many people are as fortunate to experience.

- Will you come back to visit here again?

I can't stay away!! I tell people that going down to Brazil is like my 'soul food'. The warm reception I feel when I return to Brazil from the Brazilian people is priceless to me. Even more so now then when I lived there, Brazil feels like home to me when I'm there.

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?

The unique experience of 'living' in the favela for a brief moment was something I won't soon forget. In a very short period of time I felt embraced by the community and felt safer than I do in many parts of my own state ie.Newark, Trenton, Camden, etc. Thank You Zezinho for welcoming me into your home for a truly memorable and heart-warming experience.

- Please promote your website, blog and any other projects you would like the public to know about.

I am in the beginning stages of putting together my business 'With Love 4 Brazil'. I am starting to identify local artists down in Brazil that make hand made arts & crafts that they are looking to sell. It is my intent to feature these artists and their crafts on my newly created web-site (by the same name). Then use the proceeds to invest back into some of the projects that I'd like to become more involved in down in Rocinha. If anyone out there has any additional ideas to help me get this venture off the ground, I would welcome your feedback.

If anyone would like to read more about my work I would encourage you to do a search on the Internet by putting in my name and various articles are available to look at. The UPS event really put me on the map, but more importantly it high-lighted my work that I do in Brazil. I have also set up a blog that I hope to spend more time developing. Please take a look and let me know if there are any additional questions that you'd like me to answer. You can find it under www.withlove4brazil.blogspot.com. Thanks for taking the time to read about my experience in the favelas of Brazil.

Rocinha welcomes Graham for the 3rd time!

2011-07-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

Graham has been coming and staying in Rocinha for many years after his first trip to Brazil in 2006. He is in university in Sydney Australia and doing studies in film making and Art. Welcome back to Rocinha, Graham and I hope it is even better than your last visit.

- Can you tell me your name, where you are from? 
My name is Graham Burchett and I am from the city of Sydney, in Australia.  

- Why did you come to Brasil? 
I first came to Brasil in 2006 to explore the potential for cultural, artistic and creative exchange in Rio de Janeiro.  

-When you arrived where did you live? 
In the district of Saúde in Centro.  

- How did you find out about favelas? 
Rio de Janeiro and the favelas go hand-in-hand, and it's impossible not to hear about them when inquiring about Rio. Unfortunately, they are usually mentioned or portrayed in a negative light.  

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)? 
While researching potential ways to get involved in creative exchange in Rio, I came across information about the Instituto Dois Irmãos, a non-profit organisation in Rocinha. As my interests are based on mutual exchange and collaboration, it was therefore extremely important to me that I would be able to experience the day-to-day life of the people I would be working with.  

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas? 
I tried to educate myself as best as possible about the reality of life in a favela. It's one thing to see how favelas are depicted in movies and the media, and quite another to read first hand accounts from residents and others who have spent time there. One thing that I didn't initially know about was the abundance of social programs and opportunities for outsiders to get involved in the community.  

- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much? 
I went to the favela without any expectations. The reality I discovered was that of a strong, proud community that broke all the stereotypes and preconceived notions it has been branded with. In that regard my impressions have only changed for the better.   

- What do you like about living in the favela? 
The people, the vibrancy, the sense of community. Rocinha is always breathing, there is a constant sense of liveliness. Plus in Rocinha you can find almost everything you need!  

- What don’t you like?
There are big issues with sanitation and health that need urgent addressing. Also, it must be said that the gang looms large over the community. Care must be taken when working with media such as photography and video. The constant noise can be trying at times.  

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?
Methods of and education about rubbish disposal. It would go a long way to creating a healthier community. 

- Has your experience been worthwhile?
Absolutely, my stays in the favela have been amongst the most enriching and worthwhile experiences I have had in my life to date. I have made many, many friends and been involved in some wonderful projects during my time there.  

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?
Rocinha is an intense place and can be overwhelming, so it's important to research before you jump in and decide to stay there for a good period. Get in contact with NGO's and people like Zezinho to get first hand accounts of life in the favela. Ask lots of questions. Then, once you think you're ready to commit to staying, leave your expectations behind, go with the flow, and make the most out of your stay—get involved with the community!  

- Would you come back to live here again?
Absolutely, Rocinha feels like my second home. I will be going back for my third stay and I hope there will be many more in the future.  

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?
Rocinha is a unique community. It is like a small city in itself, and has infrastructure and services that many other favelas lack. Despite this, there are are still issues of concern in Rocinha that are endemic to the favelas, such as education, health, sanitation, police invasions, water, and electricity amongst others. Rocinha is a place that is fast changing, and constantly growing, but it is still a low-income community. Rocinha's residents work hard to live a humble life and provide for their families. Despite living in such a developed favela, they often still face prejudice and discrimination in their daily lives simply for being favelados. With this in mind, approach living in a favela with humility and respect and in return the people will welcome you with open arms.

A Hockey Story

2011-06-26T19:33:00.001-07:00

Hockey in the streets of Rocinha----

I would love to put more fotos here of the kids but my connection is so slow that it takes about 10 minutes for each one to load..my internet connection is not so good, at least today..

I had the oportunity to go and live in Canada for a bit and I grew to love hockey. Its a very special sport. Canadians passion for hockey is much like what Brazilians have for football (soccer). When I returned to the favela, I brought some hockey sticks back as I thought it would be fun to teach a little street hockey to the kids. Kids are very open minded here and after seeing the Olympic games here on the televisions in the favela, I knew people would like my idea.

I started getting interest after walking through the favela few times just with a stick and ball. Kids would come to me and ask to "try". So, I would give them the stick and show them how to hold it and how to use the ball. They enjoyed it but everytime I would pass by this area the kids would ask about hockey and the sticks and when they could play. I told them that I needed to get more sticks and that I would try to get some.

I have 5 hockey sticks and now about 70 street hockey balls thanks to one visitor from New Zealand, RICHARD HARRI. He has visited my favela twice and this last time he returned with a bag full of these balls. Now I have to get sticks and nets..I decided to post these fotos also to thank the person who Richard purchased these balls from. They will be put to good use as soon as we can get these kids sticks.

I will let you know how it turns out..

Exchange student: Samantinha

2011-06-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

foto: Sam and good friend Amy

- Can you tell me your name, where you are from?

My name is Samantha, and I am from Los Angeles, CA.

- Why did you come to Brasil?

I came to Brazil to study abroad through my college. I studied for a year at PUC-Rio.

- When you arrived where did you live?

I lived with a host family I was placed with in Sao Conrado for the first 6 months.

- How did you find out about favelas?

I found out about Rocinha through a friend I was studying with. She told me about how her brother taught English in Rocinha at Instituto Dois Irmaos (i2i), and then arranged a tour with Zezinho to look around before we started teaching.

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?

I decided to move to Rocinha because I was paying a lot of money to live in a room, and I wanted more freedom to have people over. I was also already there a lot. I went to the gym there, taught there, and most of my friends lived there.

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas?

Before moving to Brazil, nothing much. I had heard about them, but also heard that they were extremely dangerous.

- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much?

Yes, I can only speak for Rocinha, because I haven't spent much time in other Favelas, but Rocinha was a huge city, but felt safer to me than Copacabana.

- What do you like about living in the favela?

I liked that I could be close to all of my friends, and pay less than other places in Zona Sul to live by myself. And I liked being close to the beach and to my school.

- What don’t you like?

Living in Rocinha as a Gringo(a) is very different from being raised there. I had a very privileged life there. I could leave if I wanted to or stay. It is not as easy for people who live there. They are judged differently than I would be for living in a Favela.

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?

The fact that the children and adults who live in Rocinha don't have the social mobility or options that other classes in Rio do.

- Has your experience been worthwhile?

Yes, I enjoyed teaching and living there. I am moving back to Rio in september!

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?

That you should maybe check it out and see if that is the pace of life you would like to live in before you make the move.

- Would you come back to live here again?

I plan to live in Rio with my boyfriend and so I am not moving back to Rocinha. But it was great for that period of my time in Rio.

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?

It is a complex community, full of good and more complicated aspects, and residents that deserve the same level of respect as all other members of Rio.

Introducing Shelly Steffler

2011-05-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

Shelly (left) with friend Vera Vetter at the top of Rocinha

- Can you tell me your name, where you are from?

My name is Shelly, and I'm from a small town in Canada near Toronto.

- Why did you come to Brasil?

I came to Brasil to do an internship in Human Resources with one of the biggest companies in the country.

- When you arrived where did you live?

I arrived in August 2010 and spent the first month and a half in a hotel in Copacabana. Afterwards, I moved to Barra (a very wealthy, American-style suburb not far from Rocinha) to be closer to work.

- How did you find out about favelas?

I knew about favelas from watchttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhing City of God, but one of my coworkers from Canada was really interested in them and invited me to do a tour of Rocinha with Zezinho. I was really nervous, and wanted to leave my backpack at work - my friend told me 'Shelly, if this backpack was full of gold, I'd feel fine walking with it in Rocinha.'

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?

Zezinho introduced me to people in the community while we were on the tour, and because they knew I was so interested in volunteering, they offered to show me around again. I started teaching English and making friends, and soon, I was spending most of my free time in Rocinha.

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas?

I was living in Rio for a few months before I moved to Rocinha, so I knew that favelas didn't deserve the generic 'they're dangerous! Don't go!' warnings that many Brazilians tend to give. I knew they had a rich cultural life and lots of activity, and that most people were not involved with the drug trafficking.

- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much?

I thought there would be a lot more fear, but people talk openly about the problems related to drug trafficers and take police invasions in stride. I initially didn't wander far from the main road, so I thought that people in Rocinha were fairly well-off. I've since been to the poorest areas of the favela, and I now know that quality of life varies a lot.

- What do you like about living in the favela?

I like that there's always someone to talk to, and that it really is a community - people know their neighbours. I like that people are honest and real.

- What don’t you like?

No one likes the garbage! But in addition to that, I don't like that kids, in particular, are exposed to drugs and violence, and that there are so few opportunities for people from favelas.

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?

Although there are many people from Rocinha getting busaries and going to school, running engaging projects, and trying to better themselves, I feel like there's a bit of a culture of apathy in Rio in general - for example, the politians are all corrupt, so it doesn't matter who you vote for. There might not be a lot of opportunities, but there are some, and people don't always take advantage of them.

- Has your experience been worthwhile?

One of the best of my life!

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?

Learn some Portuguese before you go!! Be prepared for annoyances - your cell phone might or might not work, your water might run out, and you'll probably need to lug gas for your stove to your house. Oh, and buy bottled water - lots of Brazilians drink from the tap, but our stomachs aren't used to their water.

- Would you come back to live here again?

Definately.

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?

Don't pass up an opportunity!

Christian Dugdale's Rocinha Experience

2011-05-13T21:14:00.001-07:00

Christian on my Roof top in Rocinha

Christian had contacted me sometime ago about wanting to live in Rocinha. He had been working in other favelas as a volunteer so living here would not be a shock to him. I am so happy that he has written so much about his experience here in Rocinha. I know he misses Rocinha very much and tells me often how he wants to return here to stay. Rocinha does that to people. Rocinha is like a mother that cares for its young. And I dont know why but foreigners come with no prejudice and get the most out of learning about the culture and life here in the favela. Enjoy!!

- Can you tell me your name, where you are from?

Christian Dugdale. I'm from Britain.

- Why did you come to Brasil?

It was my dream to visit Rio de Janeiro. Then I visited, and decided I had to go back for longer. I spent 15 years daydreaming about Rio before I went.

- When you arrived where did you live?

I initally stayed with a friend's parent in Botafogo.

- How did you find out about favelas?

I first saw a favela on television when I was about 11, on a British TV programme called Network 7. It was amazing to see a vertical city on the side of a mountain. I remember that I was immediately fascinated by what I saw.

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?

I actually ran short of money after deciding to extend my stay from 3 to 6 months in Rio. I moved because I couldn't afford Copacabana anymore. I was happy to be doing it though, I had spent time in other favelas and enjoyed it.

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas?

I'd done all the research I possibly could because I was so interested in favelas and Rio in general. So I did have a pretty good idea of what it was like, but it would be arrogant to say that I knew what living there was like. That wouldn't be entirely true.

- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much?

I guess so. I mean, I came into the experience with an open mind hoping to enjoy it, so it wasn't like I arrived a skeptic and went home a convert. I was amazed by how much I enjoyed day to day favela culture and just being there though. I knew I would find it interesting, but I was genuinely gutted when I had to leave. Rocinha became my favourite place in the city. I hadn't expected that.

- What do you like about living in the favela?

I love the fact that the favela is about human interaction, that you really get involved in a world that is different to your own. It's a place where you see the bare bones of humanity, for all of its faults and all of its positives. Just watching people, talking to people and being in a place that was so vibrant. I often used to think to myself "I'm alive, I'm alive " over and over again as I walked around. I don't know if that sounds either stupid or pretentious but it's true.

There may be a distinction between Rocinha and other favelas here, because Rocinha does seem to be a fast moving place than some of the others I visited. Some of them are sleepier and quietier than you'd think. Also, just like that little boy who saw TV all those years ago, I couldn't get over the aesthetic of the place. The impossible Escher drawing stairways, the vertically stacked houses, the views of Rio, the winding roads, the sight of the lights of ten thousand houses lit up at night like a beautiful constellation of stars. My breath was taken away so frequently I could hardly breath some days. I loved the way people danced and congregated in stairways at nights. The baile funk parties and the whole culture that surrounded the music, the way that once you were accepted that people really took you under their wing. The look on children's faces when you told them that you came from another country and the way they wanted to ask you a million questions about it. I mean there's a million more things, but that's what comes to mind to start with.

- What don’t you like?

I understand that people don't like the police in the favela. If I was them I wouldn't either. However, the absence of an honest and effective police service does not mean that having de-facto armed dictatorship running your community is a good thing. It isn't. I think its a tragedy that so many kids in Rio in an environment where guns are normal. Unfortunately, I'm not smart enough to come up with the solution to this issue. I can only criticise. That's not perfect I know.

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?

As I've just said, I wish the favela could be a place free of guns. I wish it could be a place where everyone in Rio, especially cariocas, would want to visit. Finally, I wish something could be done quickly to improve sanitation for residents there.

- Has your experience been worthwhile?

Quite simply, living in Rocinha is the best thing I've ever done in my whole life. I want to live in Rio, and if I get my way I will in the future. I would love to live in Rocinha again. It's absolutely freaking brilliant despite its problems. BRILLIANT.

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?

Do your research, find a contact in the favela to help you visit and take a look first. Then definitely do it.

- Would you come back to live here again?

Yes x 1000. See above.

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?

Rocinha is an extraordinary place. It's not just a slum.It's an amazing city grafted onto the the side of a mountain, with its own culture, music, rhythm, sounds and atmosphere. When you stand on a roof terrace of someone's house in Rocinha at night, you realise that that the rest of the world is missing out on something they think they don't want to see. Look out over the unbelievable sight of the hundreds of houses as they tumble down Rocinha's tropical slopes towards the Atlantic Ocean and tell me you don't feel anything. YOU CAN'T.

Seana in Rocinha

2011-05-03T20:16:00.001-07:00

Seana with one of the kids from Rocinha

Its rare when you meet somebody who truely has a love and passion for a place. I remember one of the lasts days before Seana had to leave and it was so sad. I know she did not want to leave Rocinha. As she says, Rocinha stole some of her heart. She fell in love with the place and people and this is not the first time I have heard this. And I know it will not be the last. I know if it came to it, she could easily live here. She made so many friends who ended up like family for her.

I first had contact with her a few years ago when she contacted me about coming to Rocinha for her school project. She was studying funk music from the favelas. I remember sending her some and her interest in Rocinha became stronger. The one day she sent me a email telling me she was coming. It was so nice to put a face to the emails. She is so sweet, kind and always has a smile on her face..

So, now she is RETURNING in the begining of June. So, I will see her again. I know she is soooo happy to be coming back and I look forwards to her return. But heres a interview I did with her. She is sharing her experiences of favela life.

Enjoy!!!

~Zezinho

- Can you tell me your name, where you are from?  

My name is Seana. I am from Florida, U.S.A.

- Why did you come to Brasil?

 I came to Brazil because I study Brazilian funk music from the favelas in Rio de Janeiro.  

- When you arrived where did you live? 

I wanted to stay in Rocinha my first trip to Brazil. But I had a difficult time finding housing there without knowing people there. When I arrived, I stayed in a woman’s apartment in Copacabana where a friend of mine was living.  

- How did you find out about favelas? 

I have studies the social relations that exist in the favelas in Rio for the last 6 years. I found out about them from studying about street children in Brazil. 

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?

I wanted to move to Rocinha because I study the music there and want to be as close as possible. I decided to move to Rocinha because I feel safer there than anywhere else in Brazil. There is a sense of community like I have never felt anywhere else. People are warm and welcoming.   

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas? 

I knew that the favelas are a place where drug traffickers control the communities and police invasions occur. I also knew that there is a lot more to favela life.   

- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much? 

They have not changed too much, since I tried to learn as much as possible in the years leading up to my first visit, but I never could have imagined the safety I felt while there or the carinho, or affection that I was shown by the people who live there.  

- What do you like about living in the favela?

 Everything. Rocinha is the kind of place that steals your heart. When I had to leave Rocinha, I would feel the physical absence, a love sickness perhaps, as if I had left someone behind who should be with me at all times. That feeling has never gone away. Even when I had to return to the U.S., my friends claimed that they lost a piece of me to Rocinha.  

- What don’t you like? 

There is nothing that I do not like about the favela. Life there is what it is. I feel like the benefits of living there outweigh things that might irritate some people. Water use that cuts the power, cold showers, or dog feces in the alleys.   

-If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?  

I would change the amount of violence people suffer—the (police) raids, the strip searches, etc.

 - Has your experience been worthwhile?

Absolutely. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here? 

Learn about the culture of the favela and learn to respect it. Being in a favela is not about having an exciting time living in a “dangerous,” “poor,” or “violent” community. It is not something to do to have a story to tell. I believe it is a place where people should live if they are knowledgeable about the culture and respect that exists in the community. They should be willing to learn about and participate in this culture in the same manner that a favela community member would.  

- Would you come back to live here again? 

Always.

Seana

Foreigners living in Rocinha

2011-04-22T19:36:00.001-07:00

Foto: Gary at the top of Rocinha in a area called Roupa Suja.

Spotlight: Gary from Seattle, Washington, USA

I have always thought that one of the best documentries would be someone who could film about foreigners lives here in the favela. The average Brazilian is so fearful of anything when you mention the word favela. But foreigners come with a open mind and want to learn.

The media here in Brasil, especially Rio, has destroyed the image of favela. Making the place out to be a horrible place where theives, vagabonds, drug dealers and anything else bad you can think of lives. If this is real then why would a foreigner chose to live in this type of place? Maybe because they know that the news media exagerates and only bad news sells.

So, I will be posting interviews with many foreigners who have or currently live here. All the answers they give are their own and I will not censure anything.

ENJOY!!!!

Can you tell me your name, where you are from?

My name is Gary Carrier and I am from Seattle, WA USA

- Why did you come to Brasil?

I came to Brazil as an extended journey across Latin America (a land that has fascinated me since childhood) after college to work, volunteer and better my language skills. While researching volunteer opportunities in favelas I came across an organization that operates in Rocinha and was in need of volunteers.

- When you arrived where did you live?

I lived in a 'volunteer house' dedicated to this particular organization's volunteers. The house belongs to the Marinho family and they rent an apartment located on the first level of their home to volunteers. The apartment has two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

- How did you find out about favelas?

Slum communities exist all over the globe, but Brazil's (especially Rio de Janeiro's) seem to be the most noted on an international level. Perhaps this stems from Rio's already famous international image, and the hundreds of favelas cannot be ignored and are inevitably incorporated in this image. I think the film 'City of God' gave Rio's favelas a lot of international attention, and it wasn't positive. However, it provokes interest, which leads to research, which leads to the truth.

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?

I decided to move into Rocinha for a few reasons. First, being to volunteer my time and help to teach foreign languages to people who have little or no access to the overpriced language schools of the city. This classist language accessibility only further pushes low income peoples deeper into poverty and away from opportunities for economic/social prosperity. Secondly, the 'dangers' of such places are what detour but ironically interest people in them. After having been warmly welcomed and embraced for my work in slum communities of Mexico, El Salvador, and Colombia, I wanted to prove that the stigma of Rio's favelas is perpetuated by restrictively negative reportage by news agencies. Nationally and internationally, these reports shape public opinion of Rio's favelas. I wanted to see for myself what this place was like and to prove to others that it really isn't a dangerous place.

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas?

I knew nothing. What I was told is that they're dangerous, full of gangsters with guns, dirty, and infested with drugs.

- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much?

Yes of course. However, I didn't come here with prejudices of Rocinha. I was aware of what I was told and warned of, but I didn't have prior judgements because my impressions didn't really spawn until I had settled in to this environment. I am young, but I have learned that most of what you hear on the news is B.S. If I lived my life according to the news I would not have had some of the best experiences of my life.

- What do you like about living in the favela?

I like feeling part of a community. I have always valued that. Rocinha feels like a small town, where people know each other, but at the same time you are in a city of roughly 10 million people. You have the connection of a 'small town' while simultaneously having access to the luxuries of a city. It's really a great combination. Having the beach in walking distance isn't a bad thing either!

- What don’t you like?

The list of what I do like heavily outweighs that of what I don't. But, like any community, it has its problem. Traffic; there were no civil engineers present to anticipate the growth of Rocinha, thus its narrow roads and curves don't aid the heavy traffic hours. Buses often get stuck, which backs everyone up and can sometime take hours of maneuvering.

I don't like the drugs. Especially when people consume them in public. I think it is especially damaging to the community and to children who pass by as witnesses. I wish the gang would put an end to the public consumption of the drugs they sell.

I suppose many expect me to answer this question with regards to the gang or the trafficking. However, the traffickers have never bothered me and in my time here, appear to be comparatively respectful to the community and its residents. I don't agree with the practice but I am aware it could be much worse. The only issue I have is the disrespect some show towards their women. I have seen them abused on a few occasions and it's disheartening.

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?

I would improve the infrastructure of the favela. The buildings are poorly constructed, the roads are inadequate for the amount of traffic and open sewers are something that no community should have to witness. In many of the alleyways, stairs are uneven, and I can only imagine how difficult they are to ascend for elderly or disabled residents. If the community's physical appearance was reflective of it's inhabitants, Rocinha would be beyond beautiful.

- Has your experience been worthwhile?

Absolutely.

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?

Go for it! Not only are you constantly learning in this environment, but people are learning from you. As communities that have been neglected for so long by their government and the rest of society, favela residents, consciously or subconsciously recognize the importance of outsiders exploring their communities. After spending a short time here, people begin recognizing that this is a place of beauty, of community, of immigrants from various regions of the country bring their own customs, music, food, etc. and community of good people.

- Would you come back to live here again?

I'm having a hard time leaving. I'm sure that answers the question.

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?

What I have discussed here is regarding to Rocinha. My opinions, reflections, and advices are given respective to this community. Rocinha is a very safe favela, but there are favelas here in Rio that even Rocinha residents warn about. Just always be aware, and most importantly, keep an open mind. Doing this I have found what truly makes me happy.

Tourism Development in favela dos Prazeres

2011-04-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

foto: Morro dos Prazeres

My contacts with Prazeres have been existant for a little while with out me knowing..I can not remember the complete details but I can give you a general idea of how things came to be.

I have been working with a small guest house in Santa Teresa called CASA 579. I have always believed in trying to give something back especially when it comes to favelas. Favelas are areas that are under served by the city and goverments. Some favelas like Rocinha get more help becase of their size or notoriety. Prazeres and Julio Otoni (JO) are not like that.

I spoke with the general manager of CASA 579 and we decided on working out how I could contribute specifically with the Julio Otoni Favela since this favela is very close to CASA 579. Many people who stay at CASA 579 also volunteer in Julio Otoni. I was contacted sometime ago by a coordinator Thais Corral, with the Julio Otoni Project which is a comunity center for the youth there.

About a month ago, Charles Sisqueira, who is a dance instructor at Prazeres and afiliated with JO contacted me about wanting to know more about tourism. I was suprised that they wanted me to teach them and help get a program started. Apparently some of the youth, Charles and the residents Association of Prazeres wanted to begin this becase of the interest in the surrounding area of Santa Teresa.

A LITTLE HISTORY
Charles has a dance program in Prazeres called Dança pra Galera no Casarão dos Prazeres since 2002 so he has built good relationships in the community. Through his group have passed 213 youth from ages 8 to 21 years. He is istrumental in keeping programs focused in the community, including Galera.com. The website is under contruction now but will be back soon. Galera.com was created in 2004 in Prazeres as a learning group for technology. The first few years were focused on bringing internet to the favela. and teaching basic computer classes to the residents. At the end of the first year the group created a book "E Nois" about the daily life in the favelas of Santa Teresa. This took the collaberation of 53 students from neighboring favelas of Prazeres, Falet/Fogueteiro and Coroa. In 2005 this book was selected for the Victor Civita Education award. In the same year Galera was able to advance to visual programming and they created a animation film "Qual e?" a adventure in Morro dos Prazeres. This film took about a year to make with the help of 21 students. Galera has also been involved with the reformation of a library and after school homework clubs that also teach about manners and kindness. Often life in the favelas can be about agression and abuse, so learning good citizenship will help youth in these areas better understand outside the favelas. There is so much this group and Charles have done to give visibility to Prazeres.

THE START OF SOMETHING NEW
So, yesterday I finally got to meet Charles and talk of their idea. With coordination of about 7 people, they want to bring tourism to Prazeres. I have always been a very strong believer in people from the favelas operating their own tours. They wanted my expertise and ideas on what kind of experience they could give to foreigners. I dont like the term "tour".
When I bring in guests to my favela, they will receive a social experience or a favela experience. I think they need to do the same. Education should be the focus of these "tours".

I know the whole tourism in favelas many may not agree with (and I understand both sides of argument) but at least people on the inside who are living in these favelas get to organize and run the tours. This is so much better than the jeep, van tours that come through Rocinha and give little or anything to the comunity. None of the owners of these companies live here in the favela, and in all my passings have only met 2 guides who work for these big companies that live in the favela.

By ignoring favelas or poverty will not make it go away. These comunities need a voice and as long as some of this money they earn is put back into the comunity, then this CAN be a good thing. The tours should be educational, not "come and see some poor people". The favela image has been destroyed in the media. People here are tired of outsiders seeing their comunities as only a place of thieves, bandits, drunks, addicts, poverty, and any other negative thing you can think of..people in favelas deserve so much more.

I met Charles in Copacabana and off we went to Prazeres. He explained to me beforehand that this tourism idea will also include the much smaller Julio Otoni favela as well. We walked into the community and I met some of the group from Galera.com. One of the guys Jacson came with us as we walked through the favela. We met many people and told them of our idea. Everybody seems supportive.

We decended to the bottom of Prazeres and sat and exchanged ideas. We were joined at a table by Saulo Nicolai, Davi Vitor and Diogenes Santos Lima. All of these young people are part of the Galera.com group. Some speak some English. I am not sure what level of English they spoke becase we only conversed in Portugues. But I did advise them that if doing tours in English, you need be proficent enough to answer any and all questions your guests ask.

foto: The gang of Prazeres 100% FAVELA!! left to right, Saulo, Davi, Zezinho, Charles and Diogenes

I explained a basic outline of how I work in Rocinha to give visitors a "favela experience". Respect and support of the residents is needed to make this happen. I emphasized to them the importance of being organized, being prepared. Visitors want to know about physical infrastructure, politics, sports, culture, music, education, health, land rights, employment, and many of other things. It is the responsibility of the guide to know just about everything about the comunity they live in. If they dont know, then they have to find out by talking to elders, political people in the comunity etc. Marketing their service using pamphlets, flyers, business cards and talking to all the hostels and guest houses in Santa Teresa will help them. Any event in Santa Teresa they need to be there promoting their work. Their project will work if they can put some of the money earned into the film making classes or any other new developments that Galera.com is involved with now.

This was my first "consulting" job. I hope it is not the last. Maybe the city of Rio can hire me to be a "Favela Tourism" specialist. But for now, working to help other favelas earn a self sustaining income is very rewarding and I hope I can help other favela too!

If you are interested in knowing more about the Tourism Project in Morro dos Prazeres in Santa Teresa, please contact
Charles Sisqueira at: charlesisqueir@gmail.com or Saulo Nicolai at: saulonicolai@gmail.com Saulo also has a Blog about things going on in Prazeres, go here: http://nucleoaudiovisual.blogspot.com

What Makes a Community!

2011-04-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

foto: Gary with the favela Rocinha in the background

I am reposting this from a friends Blog becase I really like the way he describes the place I live, that is Rocinha. Gary Carrier, from Washington State in the USA has been living here in Rocinha almost 1 year now and here are his thoughts on what makes a community! Thank you for putting in words something that I could not!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every once in a while, one of our senses catches familiarity with something that has been long abandoned or forgotten in the pages of our memory. In the same way a certain experience (or span of experiences) can be entombed in a song, we subconsciously embed our experiences in the sights, sounds, and smells of the respective environment in which they are being formed. I experienced this response yesterday and it took me back to my first weeks here in Rocinha. "Caralho..." I said to myself, marveling at the fact that I have been living here for seven months now, "I can't believe how much I've learned, grown, and become engrained into the network of this community". There are few things that I like more than sharing a sense of community, and after seven months here, a speechless stroll down the street has become welcomely replaced by conversation breaks with friends. A community connection is vital for society as a whole, and equally as important for us individually. It creates a sense of connectedness, self-worth, and kinship between its inhabitants. My walk down the hill and to the beach I swear, increases by fifteen minutes every month. But I love it. I love it more than having a car that could jet me there in minutes. It's this walk that reminds me everyday how important community is, and how important it is that we continue to stay connected with one another. I'm not just speaking of 'staying in touch', but of something grander. Locally owned businesses, community involvement, knowing your neighbors, locally grown food, support and participation in city politics, etc. These attributes are what truly create the fabric to which we refer to as community. It is through this connection that we are powerful, that we have voice, that we can be truly represented.. When did we stop borrowing sugar or a cup of milk from our neighbors? More importantly, why?

I come to the bottom of the hill, the end of Rocinha (or the beginning rather) and its adjacency to one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city, São Conrado, never ceases to bewilder me. My pace is slow and unhurried, something I've adopted from Latin America. I venture closer to the beach and the giant, luxurious condos equipped with private parks, gated entries with security guards, and even a 'community' golf course, implore my attention. Their residents give a polite wave to the security guard from their tightly sealed vehicles, and enter yet another gate, giving them access to the building before making their way to the elevator and to the 'safety' of their condos. Protection. It's what you paid for right? Protection from this crime ridden, drug infested favela that has uninvitedly situated itself next to your paradise? Protection. From what, from the same danger-zone that this pale, light eyed gringo just leisurely strolled through? Fear has caused these people to live in isolation, to replace community with electric gates and security guards that won't protect you in the way that a community will. Is Rocinha a scary place for outsiders who know nothing of it other than what the media tells them? Yes. Is isolating yourself and diminishing your political voice to a hymn going to make it any less scary? No.

If we never sacrifice our vulnerability, how do we ever expect to grow? I am the person I am today because I have subjected myself to risk, to failure, to dangerous environments, to the 'unknown', and I've conquered them all. I've come closer to realizing what I cherish, what's important to me, what I want out of my life, where I'm going and why. I took a different path, and it's made all the difference. Society's idea for me; to slave away the rest of my life so I can buy a poorly made, vinyl-sided house in a featureless subdivision, fighting it out with everyone else to prove how much I have and how good of a consumer I am has long been out of my consideration. Living in this favela leaves me wondering...why are we so afraid of ourselves? Why do we work so hard to further ourselves from each other? Why is it I rarely see anyone outside in the wealthiest neighborhoods, but slum communities like Rocinha are bustling with life, day and night? I think it is time for people to open their doors again, to go to your neighbors and meet them, and create communities again, because as long as we are separated, we are powerless. The world really isn't that scary.

End

To read more of Gary's Blog, please go here: http://www.garywcarrier.blogspot.com

Tenho orgulho de ser brasileiro e americano

2011-04-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

here is a foto of me with both american and brazilian passports...I have pride to be both and never deny this fact.

I need to say this to the trouble makers out there. I have NEVER tried to hide the fact of my origin, birthplace or my parents. I was born in Brasil. Rio, to be exact at Miguel Couto Hospital in Gavea. My mother is from New York City and my father is from Rocinha (born in Fortaleza, Ceara). So, yes I am proud to both brazilian AND american. And anyone who says diferent does not know me or is just trying to stir troubles. I have been fortunate to live in both the USA and Canada. But returned to Rocinha becase my father got sick and this place is my roots. Unfortunately, there is lots of jealousy here in Brazil. And some people will say anything to try to put down others they dont understand or discredit them. I have suffered this prejudice before.

I have already found out the sources of some of the people and it is becase we work in the same profession and they have jealousy. They would rather make a rumour about me than try to get to know me better and KNOW the truth. I have deleted these backstabbers from my networks. I want to work and support people whos intentions are to help others not being selfish. I want to surround myself with good Karma, not negative jealous people!

Please before you judge me, get to know the facts and dont believe everything some person tells you. Do your research as the truth can be found!

Kids in the favelas

2011-04-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Below is a set of questions from a student wanting to know more about kids and youth in the favelas..I will try an attempt to answer this students questions..

Hi,

My name is..... I recently graduated from Brigham Young University and am working on a research paper about children and youth in the favelas. I have found a lot of "scholarly" essays on the topic but was hoping you could give me a more realistic, down to earth point of view on what life is like. I have read a few of your entries on getjealous.com which have been helpful but was hoping to ask a few other questions. If you have a few minutes to answer them I would really appreciate it.

Thank you,
...........

1. What activities/fun things are there in the favelas for children and youth?

I can only talk about Rocinha favela where I live. Other favelas have diferent programs of diferent levels of help from NGO's, comunity or goverment support.

In Rocinha we now have the Rocinha Sports Complex at the bottom of the favela that has many sports activities. From what I have seen, there is boxing, capoeira, judo, jiu jitsu, volleyball, indoor football, basketball, swimming, a surf school, and outdoor football. There might be other programs but these are the ones I know about. There are other programs as well. We have a music school both inside the favela and another just outside Rocinha. We have a few art schools, one at the top of the hill on Rua 1 (first street) and Tio Lino's Mundo de Arte at the bottom of the hill. I know there is a ballet school and of course we have our samba school. The Varandao has dance classes like ballroom, salsa and samba. THis is all my mind can think of right now. The majority, if not all of these programs are only open to kids who are enrolled in school and making passing grades.

2. How many of the children attend school? Are there schools in the favelas or do they attend school in the city?

I am not sure of the percentages as I am no expert in this. Children are suppost to be in school until 15 years but many do quit for many reasons. We have four public schools in the favela. Many students are also bused outside the favela to attend school.

3. Do many of the children/youth work? What kind of jobs do they take? Do their jobs keep them from attending school?

Some kids do work and go to school. I have seen kids go to school then return home and are seen working in a store with their parents at night. There is a 9 years old boy working in the supermarket across from my house. It is now almost 7:30 at night and he is still working.

4. What are the main obstacles the youth face in changing their situation?

Opportunity. Many youth don't see a improvement in their life from going to school. They think short term, not long term. Many teens want money, clothing and by going to school they dont see value in this. Also their parents may have little education and force them to work to help support the family for basic needs.

5. Are there many programs, charities, organizations, etc. present in the favelas to help children and youth? What kind of programs are they? Are they effective?

There are some but certainly not enough. Many of the organizations sad to say are corrupt with individuals who only help themselves and give very little back to the comunity. There are some day cares for smaller children. Tio Lino runs a after school club. We had a great program up and running a few years back but due to embezlement of funds has since closed down and the sadness is the kids and youth loose out to adult greed..the programs can be effective if the kids stay in them. I work with a art school and we have saved about 45 kids from the drug trade..

6. How are children affected by the presence of the drug gangs?

The kids who enter the drug trade are doing it for money and status. Most of them come from absent or addict parents. It is a problem. We definately do need more afterschool programs, recreation space and activities here for our kids. I think the kids see the drug guys as power figures becase they have money and do what they want. Every kids wants nice shoes and clothes. They see the drug trade as a easy way to get those things. The sad thing is when I see some of these kids in the streets with toy guns and immitating the drug guys.

7. What has the government done to help children in the favelas?

The goverment is not much help. It is as if they prefer watching the favela destroy itself. We have many people who are talented here who just need the right oportunity. The goverment is and did start the PAC project to help improve things in the favelas. We receved a new sports, complex, a hospital, community center, and rua 4 was opened up and 200 new units of housing was built. This is great improvements, but new housing doesnt equal the destruction of prejudice that we in favelas fave from the outside. There is still the stigma of living in a favela and I have many friends who would never tell anybody from the outside where they live. We need to de-stigmatize the favela as only being a place of negative things.

8. If there was one thing you could do for these children to help them, what do you think would make the most difference (better schools, better housing, jobs, health care, etc.)?

I think education and activities are the main things needed for our youth. But like kids everywhere, school has to be fun. Teachers need to be able to capture a childs attention and get them interested in learning. I know this is much to ask but our youth is our future and we must nourish them through education and cultural activities. The teens need other options besides drugs and sex. They need leadership programs or for the older ones work/study programs in the fields they have interest in. The parents of these kids also have to take better care of their children and offer structure to their lives so the kids wont seek out negative alternatives.

Life in the Favela Pt.2

2011-03-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

With all the lifes challenges, I still LOVE living here. We can choose to see the bad or good. I prefer to see the good and positive that lives here. I have always said “It’s not the poorly built houses, but the people that make this place special”. Life is good.

Living here has challenges and I want to put out a special get better wish to my friend Robert and Lilia who have been sick due to Dengue. Get beetr soon!!!

I wanted to continue from Part 1 as some of you want to know more. I have been very fortunate to have people who after reading my blog, come here to see for themselves. I am back now and hope to be able to give updates one a week now that I have formal internet in my house.

Why favelas exist
Favelas exist because of the lack of affordable housing for the poor working class. We do not have public housing or a welfare system that aids poorer people, so favelas are the only option. If Rio wishes for the favelas to go away, they need affordable housing or they need to raise the minimum wage so people have the option to move out of the favelas. I know that I could not afford to live outside a favela. Favelas are not bad places, just places where regular people live who make little money. The majority of people who live here in Rocinha, have no interest in leaving. I am one of those content with my life here. Instead of leaving, I would like to help improve life for people who live here. Leaving? Where would I go? What friends or connections would I have to a new place? Many things to think about.

Work, jobs, job opportunities
Most of the jobs favela resident do are simple type work where education or higher education is not needed. Favela residents are construction workers, domestics, bus drivers, cashiers, hotel and restaurant workers. The job you get decides on many factors, like education, where you live and your race. Brazil does not like to admit this but there is racism here. Rarely do you see Afro-Brazilians in high professional type jobs. The biggest stigma is coming from or living in a favela. I am considered white and to Brazilians considered one who probably has opportunity but becase I live in a favela, my status or class drops. I think more people suffer discrimination because of living in a favela. Because favela residents receive poor education, they are not able to pass the difficult entrance exam (called the Vestibular) to get into university. Only the rich or people who can afford tutors can gain entry for university. There is the odd scholarship but it is rare for favela resident to get into university. The guy on the beach selling you water or renting you the beach chair most likely lives in a favela.

Shopping and Commerce
In Rocinha, we have over 6,000 businesses. I love living here because I do not have to leave here for anything. Why? When I can buy everything here? We have three banks here, Bradesco, Itau and Caixa. They are now building a Banco do Brasil as well here. The prices are very cheap or reasonably priced. Every Saturday the nightclub Emocoes (Emotions) located close to the entrance of the favela, opens up a shopping market. It is mostly clothes and shoes but other things can be bought there as well. On Sunday we have the Feira Nordestina located in Largo do Boiadeiro. This is a true Brazilian cultural fair as you can but fruits, vegetables, meat and everything, even a screw driver! There are also the “Repentistas” who sing or “insult” each other through song. But it’s all in fun. I often receive tourists who would prefer shop in Rocinha not only because the prices are cheaper but also because the want to support the favela economy. Most of the commerce is located down at the bottom of the hill.

Water
We have a water resource high deep in the forest of a area called “Laboriaux”. It is a fresh water spring that people can drink the water from. When the water is pumped from there through the pipes to people homes in the favela, minerals build up in the pipes and the water is not good to drink. Most people here drink bottled water. Where I live, I get water pumped into my tank once a week, so conservation of water is important. Water is free and the government built a pumping station at the top of Rua 1 for the residents. I think it is important responsibility to conserve water.

Electricity
Most people pay for electricity but of course you will always have those people who have “gatos” or illegal hook ups to the grid. When I was a kid, it was all illegal but now we have a formal company called “LIGHT” which is a Brazilian/Canadian company which provides formal electricity to about 85% of the residents. I receive a bill every month and I pay between 20 to 50 reais a month depending on how much energy I use.

Taxes
In Brazil we have a law that if you make under 1200 reais a month you do not pay taxes. Most people who live in Rocinha earn between 600 to 900 reais a month, so they don’t pay income taxes. We do pay taxes on good and services though as this tax is built into the price.

Education
I think most people know that public education in Brazil is poor and even worse for the cities 1.8 million favela residents. Education or real education is for the middle and upper classes. We are educated to the point we can function but it is not common to see professional people coming out of favelas. This is sad becase intelligence has nothing to do with where a person lives. But that intelligence has to be nutured and fed to grow and prosper. Many bright favela people will never amount to anything more than a common service worker becase they do not have access to quality education. And becase the minimum salary is low many kids have to leave school and work to help support their families. It is common in Rocinha to see a 12 or 13 year old kid giving you back change in a store. These kids should be in school but many see the lack of opportunities becase the education prepares them for a bleak future, so why waste the time with this. There are some scholarships, but they are rare. I have a friend who was lucky. He is a architect but he and his friends in order to get better job opportunities are renting a place outside the favela. He can not even tell outsiders the truth about where he lives. This is sad. It is common that many employers will not hire favela people.

***If any of you readers want information about a specific thing regarding to favela life or Rocinha, please email me what you would like to read here. My email is: visitrocinha@gmail.com

Giving Thanks to Friends

2011-03-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

I know I have been away for a while. Between moving and work, the blog has been put aside but I am back. There are so many projects that I am involved with that are either finished or are ongoing. I want to mention some people who recently have been of importance to me and to helping my comunity here in Rocinha.

The Back Pack Project

I met Jim about 8 months ago as we found each others blogs online. Jim is married to a Brazilian and lives in Niteroi. He has many years experience in fundraising. I can not remember how we eventually met, but I think it had to do over a controversy on blogs over the ethics of slum tours. Anyhow we eventually wrote and started talking about favelas and where I live. I told Jim that I was involved in a art school here and that I donate a portion of my income to the art school. In April of last year my favela suffered much damage due to flooding and landslides. Many houses were destroyed and 3 people died. Tio Lino's Art school that I support had damage to their roof. Half of the second floor collapsed....

Jim and I had a idea to raise money for the school for Christmas. The idea we came up for was buy school supplies for the children at Tio's school. Both Jim and I raised money through friends and through our facebook pages. I decided that I would contribute a portion of my income through the tours to this project. We decided to call it the "Backpack Project". We decided to buy string backpacks and fill them with school supplies. Many children here in the favela dont have the extra money for notebooks, pens, paints, erasures and other things needed for school. We were able to buy and stuff 40 backpacks for the kids. With some left over money we bought, glue, scissors, tape and a tape dispensor for Tio. I donated 200reais from my tours and In 6 weeks we were about to raise a total of 850reais. Not bad for 6 weeks..

After new years we set a day to go by the school and present the backpacks to the kids..to read the outcome, please read on Jim's Blog as I feel he explains it much better than I, and he took fotos of the event.
Go here: http://qualidadedevida-jim.blogspot.com/2010/12/rocinha-art-school-supplies-project.html
If you need more information about this fundraising we did, please contact Jim at: jmshattuck@hotmail.com

FAVELA PUZZLES

This idea came from my friend Ryan and I sitting on my rooftop in my old house over looking the favela. Ryan, a doctorate student was staying with me for two months doing research here in the favela. We were sitting and I was telling him how beautiful I thought the comunity was. I said "It would be cool if we could make a jigsaw puzzle of the favela". He agreed but we would need to find good quality fotos and a reason to do this.

I told Ryan about half of Tio's roof being destroyed by the rains. We both agreed that this would be a great idea to raise monet to help fix Tio's roof. So the plan is now in action and the puzzles are now available. I need to thank Tee Cardaci for designing the website. I need to thank Chen Siyuan for contributing some of the fotos. But I also need to nthank the supporters in this project, you who have purchased these puzzles. Ryan has also included the YMCA in Orange County as part of the project as a educational tool for the members. They are also setting up a pen pal exchange where kids from Rocinha can communicate with kids from California. To learn more about this contact Ryan at: rjgoode@gmail.com
The website for the Puzzles is: http://www.favelapuzzles.com

Freddy Gomes: For the Love of Rocinha

Freddy Gomes from the Netherlands contacted me about a year ago regarding his interest in favelas and especially Rocinha. He sent me many emails wanting information and researching about Rocinha. It was the only place he wanted to come to. Finally he set a date and told me that he was coming and needed a place to stay inside the favela. He wanted a favela experience. His background is from Cape Verde so he already had knowledge of Portuguese which would make it easier for him to assimilate here. He arrived and stayed with me for about 4 days and then I was able to find him a place.

Freddy is a unique person. There are very few who have the size of heart that this guy has. When he arrived he brought a huge suitcase of Art Supplies for Tio Lino's Art School. We had to count everything and record it becase Tio likes to keep lists of donations that come in the school. When people from the community ask about who is helping him, he has a ledger to prove that people like myself and Freddy are contributing. I like it as well becase then the favela knows that I am am using tourist money to help support his school. I like contributing as Rocinha has given me so much, including meeting people like Freddy.
Freddy not only gave these art supplies, he worked in the comunity volunteering with several football clubs in the favela. One in a poorer area of Roupa Suja and a girls program on Rua 1 (first street). Thank you Freddy for your contributions to Rocinha. I hope someday you return..to contact Freddy about his favela experience his email is: freddy1gomes@hotmail.com

THE DJ PROJECT: Phi, Harry, Tess, Daren, Shon & Josef

All of the names I just mentioned are part of a big future project we are planning to unleash in June. I have been a Dj for many years and it has always been a dream to open a DJ school here in the favela. In June, Harry and possibly a few others are going to come to Rocinha to help me start this special project. At the bottom of the hill at the edge of the Via Apia, there is a project called "Pensando Juntos", which has a DJ class every friday afternoon but there is only one set of turntables and CD players. The monitors are old and many people have told me that there is more demand for a more regular set up. I want there to be a school that can have 20-30 students, not all at the same time, but a full time DJ school. Something that operates 5 days a week.

I have several DJ's on board here in the community and have many DJ's from other countries who want to help by visiting and having seminars or just teaching the odd class. Music is the soul of Brazil, especially here in the favelas. I have spoken to people here in the comunity and have 100% support. Finally something that I can put my heart and soul into. My gift to the favela I care about so much.

For more information about our project DJ please contact Phi at: phihkpham@gmail.com
or Harry Hood at: harryhood0980@gmail.com

News

2010-12-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

I have been sick for a few days and now I found out that the owner of the house I am renting, sold it. So now I need to move by the 20th of December. Not so nice of a time as it is close to holidays when people go away. With all the construction and projects going on now in Rocinha, it is very dificult to find a place. But I have put the word out.

Also with all the police invasions in the city in varios favelas, we here know that the police will eventually come here. There are rumors everywhere here in Rocinha and I do not know what to believe.

I have hard a dificult time writing things, so if any of you have information you want to know about here, please send your questions or ideas to me at: visitrocinha@gmail.com

Thank you..

Zezinho

Shelly and the Capoeira Project

2010-11-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

2 November, Tuesday 2010

In the foto: Shelly Steffler is seated wearing black with glasses)

My day was planned to meet my friend Shon Starr and take him around Rocinha to take fotos and film of my community. I had no idea how interesting the day would become.

I first met Shelly Steffler through a friend who booked a favela tour with me about 1 month ago. I met the group at the General Osorio Metro station in Ipanema.

After the groups visit to Rocinha, Shelly kept in touch with me and made many contacts with people in Rocinha and wanted to help in some way with something here in the favela. She met with Leandro Lima who works with the PAC project in communications here in Rocinha and has a website about life here called http://www.faveladarocinha.com. Its in Portugues but it talks about all the goings on in the community.

For the past two years I have had contact with the ACORDA Capoeira school. I have always liked and respected Mestre Manel. He is about 50 years old and has 3 sons who also are Capoeira players. He has been teaching now in Rocinha for over 28 years. He lives Capoeira and only wants to share his love of it with everybody.

About one month ago Manel came to me and asked me if I could teach his students English. I told him that I know nothing about teaching English. But I could find some people who could help. I know that things take time and I wanted the perfect person to help me with this. And I know that I could not do this alone.

In the past I have referred volunteers to other NGO’s and organizations here and will still continue to do this. But for this project there is more concentration and commitment needed. I do not want to let down Mestre Manel. I want this project to work and continue.

Shelly had told me that she wanted to be more involved and help out in some way in the favela. So I ran this idea of helping with English classes, and she said yes. I knew that I would need support and help her with this. I am so happy she decided on helping the Capoeira class.

Shelly is so organized and has access to many people who can help. I also put up a post on the Couchsurfing website looking for those who have interest to volunteer and help out teaching English. Shelly has put out group emails to keep people informed about our English classes with the Capoeira students. So, now we have classes that began this past Tuesday at 9pm after the Capoeira class.

Shon, who has a Brazil travel agency called Brazil Geeks, http://www.brazilgeeks.com wanted to film in Rocinha and also do a promotional video for Ricardo and his work with the Rocinha Surf School. Shon and I met Ricardo at 1pm to film and do the interview but when we got there, Ricardo had 6 students going to the beach for a surf lesson. So we went to the beach with them to film Ricardo in action teaching people to surf. I had no idea that these same people after would be meeting up with Shelly for the first English class with the Capoeira people. After the surf lesson Shon, Ricardo, Chiquinho (Ricardo’s assistant), Shelly, I and the group of 6 all went to eat at Trapia “por kilo” restaurant in Rocinha.

The class was at 9 pm and we ate and had about 3 hours to kill. I had plans to bring Shon to the new Ecological Park here in Portao Vermelho in Rocinha to do more filming. It ended up that I invited everybody to come along if they wanted to. So we brought this huge group of like 12 people. My friend Robert Nestor from Germany even took a bike up the hill to meet us. So, Shelly, her English volunteers, Ricardo, the surf students, Shon and I managed to get everybody on the bikes and up to the park. We went in the park and looked around at what they are building. We saw a ampitheatre, construction for a multi sport building, playground for kids, nice bathrooms, a kiosk which will probaly be used to sell food/drinks and we saw areas where people can have churraschos (BBQ).

Before the sun started setting, I invited everybody to my house to sit on my rooftop. My roof can accommodate maybe 12 people but we managed about 15 in total. People sat, drank, talked with each other, ate snacks and took fotos of the view I have from my roof. Around 8 pm most of the people had to leave to get some food and to get ready to teach at 9 pm. Angelo (Shelly’s friend) and Robert stayed at my house until 9, then we walked down to the Casa de Paz where the class was taking place. I was able to get to know Angelo, who is a professional English teacher. He told me about where he lives and we shared Dj and music stories.

Our first class was very informal. We do not have access to proper desks so everybody sat in a circle. Shelly and her friend Angelo who teaches English professionally, ran the class. We had about 8 volunteers who came along to help.

For those interested in volunteering with this project please contact Shelly Steffler at: shelly.steffler@gmail.com

We want to keep this program ongoing and not have it die. Currently, classes are every Tuesday & Thursday from 9-10pm at the Casa de Paz (Peace House) in Rocinha. If people reading this have interest in helping out with the classes in Rocinha, you can contact Shelly or myself.

Thank you all for your help this past week.

Orgulho da Favela- Pride of the Favela

2010-11-07T11:34:00.000-08:00

I have said this many times, "Its not the poorly built houses that makes this place, its the PEOPLE!"

To some people, the word “Favela” is bad. I embrace the word becase of its roots. The word “favela” came from the plant that grew on the hills of the first settlement in Rio. This plant mirrors the hardships of the people who had nowhere to go other than the hills to build their shacks back in the late 1800’s (1898 the first favela was Morro da Providencia). With this plant, people would try to cut it down but it would just grow back again stronger. I am from and to this day live in a FAVELA..sem vergonha!!! (without shame)

Many people do not realize that the conditions my parents and others came from were far worse. In the northeast of Brazil there were many problems being lack of jobs, drought and hopelesseness of the people who lived there. Many had to leave and migrate to the big cities to find work and to survive. Favelas were the only option at that time. People set their roots to get a sense of stability in their lives. My father did this because he wanted a better life for us. He told me many stories of suffering, starvation and feeling like nobody cared about the people there. Coming to Rio was a lifesaver for him. He was able to find work and slowly build his home and roots in Rocinha. The main thing was to have a better life, not a glamorous one.
I am thankful to my father, mother and relatives to giving me all I needed to make it where I am today. I have a roof over my head, enough food, clothes, and a job that I love. What more could I really want?

The purpose of this Blog, I made first is to inform people about what life is like here. Every week I would receive several emails from students, journalists, and researchers who wanted information about where I live. I also try to put in stories about my life here to give a personal side to things too. I am not a writer, just somebody wanting to share my personal experiences and information. Favelas are often misunderstood places that are often written about but by MOSTLY those who are not from them. I do not know of anyone else from a favela writing about it.
I would think that most people here probably would not write about it becase most people who live in favelas do not like to tell outsiders they live there. There is still a stigma attached for those who live in favelas. I know many here who would never admit to living here because they feel they might be discriminated against. Its sad but this does happen to we who live here. If any of you know somebody that is from a favela and writing about it, please let me know. I would like to meet them!

Favelas are complex societies that even trained or educated people still will never fully understand life here. Researchers try with their “theories”, but theories are just that. For a “outsider” it is very difficult to be trusted and given the detailed information by residents. Most of us here in Rocinha do not trust the intentions of outsiders. We live here becase there is no other option for us. Even in my experience, Many people email me and expect so much from me, but want to offer nothing in return. I see these same people come in the favela and only want to satisfy their own needs at the expense of the community. We are tired of being the “petrie dish” for every researcher who wants to “study” us but never try to help change things. After a while this gets old and people here are not stupid.

Recently it seems every post I put up which challenges somebody ignorance, I get again OUTSIDERS trying to tell me how it is here, change my values or tell me how bad it is here. Are you telling me this based on you living here or just stuff you read or what people tell you? This depends on what you value and what you are used to. I would never expect a middle or upper middle class person from the Europe or USA to come here and like it. But then again here is NOT Europe or USA.

One person wrote “you cant deny the deplorable conditions of favelas etc…”
Ok, he says deplorable, but based on who’s values, his? I don’t think I live in deplorable conditions.

I have always said. Favelas are not perfect, we have problems, challenges, like anywhere. Nem melhor, nem pior, apenas diferente! But they are just different than other countries. I am very happy here and I think that bothers some readers that I could actually LIKE living here in a favela. I think some think of favelas being “romantic”, which I do not understand this at all. Maybe in the movies they are romantic but reality is much different. I do not live in a movie. I am not just staying here, I LIVE here and MY FAMILY lives here too!!! I do not have any plans to leave. And my roots are here, why leave to go to unknown future?

I don’t need to be saved or helped. The conditions I live in may not up to some peoples standards, but I am not complaining. I have everything I NEED. To some, I live in poverty, but I think my life is very rich becase money is not the center of my universe. Yes, I work, but I am not somebody’s slave. And money does not dominate my every thought like most people I know. People and my community are far more important to me.

I think in countries where people have access to everything, they get spoiled and they complain. I saw this especially in the USA. People are stressed out chasing money so much they are not even raising their kids anymore. Mothers do not stay home with kids anymore. Daycare or a nanny is the substitute mother. Dads do not have time to go out and kick a ball with their son becase when they get home from work they are too tired to interact with their kid. Instead they feed the kid tv, internet or video games. Kids in the USA don’t have that connection to their parents anymore. At 18 years old the parents want you out of the house.

I left the USA because I started to see individual rights taken from people based on this “fear of terrorism” crap! Its easy, the government creates horrible events to create a “enemy”, put fear in people and then slowly takes their rights away under the guise of giving citizens more security. Big brother is now a reality.

When I lived in the USA I felt like my life was “regulated”. I had a “formal” job. I had to punch in a clock. I had to wear a uniform. There were regular meetings we had to attend. I had a bank account. I had a rental agreement for the place I rented. I had to have a credit card to do anything like travel or book airplane tickets. I did not get my first credit card until I was 38 years old. It was like a whole new world for me with so much regulation. So different from the simplicity of living in a favela where my word is trusted when I rent a place and no paperwork is needed.
There are many good things about the USA, but I felt after 10 years was enough and I was drawn back to my home. I made the right decision as I feel free from “regulation” and my life is my own. I work when I want or need to, not because I HAVE to. Life is easier and cheaper for me here in Rocinha. Its not perfect, but I am happy.

I am not perfect, but try to keep negative stuff out of my life. There will always be someone who needs to start trouble because they want to drag others down or their lives are miserable. I believe in karma and try to put out positive things and I know when I do, it comes back to me the same. But the test is those who are jealous or have problems and they see the good around you and want to destroy it. The test is to understand and not respond or block them out. Success to me is NOT about money, its about changing peoples lives and impacting them in such a way that they can then carry on that same energy. This is my belief.

So, my blog again is to educate and tell you how it is HERE IN ROCINHA. If you really want to know and understand this place, you would need to live here for at least 6 months to 1 year, the more time the better. And if you do not understand or speak any portugues, you will find it very difficult to interact and understand the life and culture here. The more portugues you speak, the more the community will welcome you. If you don’t try you will always be seen as the outsider and meaningful relationships will be hard to come by.

Please, if you have questions, feel free to write me at: visitrocinha@gmail.com

The Camera Project

2010-11-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

Above are fotos of Leandro opening his gift of a new Camera..and hopefull to his dream of being able to become the photo journalist.

Mission accomplished!!

Some of you read the entry where I wrote about some of the projects that I’m involved in here in Rocinha. At the end of that entry, I wrote about Leandro who had his camera stolen and how I made plans to buy him a new one. Well, Leandro had his birthday party at the Verandao, a dancehall half way up the hill here in Rocinha on Saturday October 16th. Dj Fernadinho spun the music and everyone had a great time. I took some fotos of Leandro receiving his new camera for his 28th birthday. When he saw what it was he was in shock and gave me a big hug!

I want to thank ALL OF YOU who went on tours with me the month of August, September and October as your money helped to buy Leandro a new camera and keep alive his dream of one day becoming a photo journalist.

Again, thank you sooooo much!!!

More Prejudice and Misinformation about Favelas

2010-10-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

My good friend Jim Shattuck writes a blog about his life in Brazil and one person wrote below their opinions about a post Jim wrote about favela tours. I respect the idea that there are those who do not like favela tours. That is not the problem here.

I think it is important that readers know what is going on about favelas. I decided to respond to what this guy wrote. As a favela resident I am tired of being socially excluded, stigmatized and marginalized by people who do not know me or about the place I live. I am speaking up for all the people of the favelas as their voice need to be heard.

Ray’s post is in italics and mine is in bold font.

Jim’s website is below:

http://qualidadedevida-jim.blogspot.com/

Ray Adkins writes:
Jim,  I totally respect your opinion and I admire your initiative, you will be doing more for Brazil in the short time you are there than most do their entire lives. 

You make it sound like we in favelas have no hope. How wrong you are. Things are improving for favela residents.
It maybe slow in coming but we see it here in Rocinha with the PAC Project.

My personal opinion about favelas is that I am against the tours and I am also against ignoring them as if they didn't existed. 

What he continues to write below has nothing to do about favela tours or the project we are trying to make here for the community. So you are also “against ignoring them as if they didn’t exist”. So how does a person learn or understand about favelas if they come to brazil and do not have access? What do you propose for favelas not to be ignored? Many people contrary to what people think, come on tours to understand the favelas and then return to volunteer or implement a project.

Ray, why is it that all you write is all negative things? Are you just trying to discourage people from helping? Whats your point? So, Ray do you have a solution? You can say tear all the favelas down but that is approximately 35% percent of Rio’s population. Or about 2.5 million people. Ray do you really think that the Brazilian government, as corrupt as it is has a true interest to help ALL the poor people in Rio? Especially by building housing for us people, I think not! (I am talking about Rio because I live here, Sao Paulo is another thing).

I find it interesting how people have opinions but based on what information? Where does the information come from media? people? Personal experience? It is difficult for me to read what this guy has written below because although there are some truths to what he says, there is also a lot of exagerrations or outright lies? Where do people get this stuff?

I would much rather hear somebodys opinion about something that is based on their personal experience rather than what they read or hear. By what this guy writes its obviously not from personal experience.

I think favelas are the most humiliating form of living besides being a homeless person, favelas are dangerous places because they are mostly built on the sides of mountains without any proper infra-structure and when there is a strong rain storm people living in favelas are under risk of being buried alive along with their children or they are built on the banks of polluted rivers and are subject to constant flooding. 

Ok so YOU think they are humiliating forms of living. As somebody who lives in a favela, I actually like living here and do not feel humiliated by living here. That is something within YOU to say this. I am very proud to live here in Rocinha. We who live in favelas only want equal opportunity for jobs and to be treated with respect, nothing more. There are definitely challenges and problems but I find there is more a community spirit and people here actually CARE about each other compared to other places I lived in the world. I will never say favelas are paradise or perfect but then again paradise and perfection do not exist. But this is my life and I am happy in my current situation. I live in a house with four walls, a roof, electricity, water, a toilet that operates, and it is confortable.

So if I all in a sudden became rich and was to move out of the favela. What would I have? More stuff? A nicer place? Maybe…but would I be as happy as I am now? Probly not, becase I was not raised with upper class people. I have nothing in common with them. I have no interest in designer clothes, shoes, fancy cars..I am more interested in being part of a community that cares about me where I feel I have a valued place. Favela or not Rocinha is my home. I will not abandon her for money.
Being homeless is just that. Living on the streets is just that. Favelas are nothing like that. Favelas are tight knit communities where people work together and support each other.

It is true that in Rio most of the favelas are built on hillsides but not all are dangerous nor do we lack infrastructure. We have our own. The only thing that separates us from the formal city is money. We have had to create our own infrastructure where the government fail to help.

The reason favelas exist is becase of the lack of housing for the poor working class. Unlike other places we do not have the WELFARE system, the DOLE, food stamps, section 8 or whatever… that people can use, abuse and be lazy. People in favelas live there becase there is no other option.

NOT ALL FAVELAS ARE CREATED EQUAL!!!

Favelas far away in the north or west zones have more problems and challenges compared to where I live.
In Rocinha 95% of the homes are made of brick and cement and are built solidly into the earth. We have two areas Macega and Roupa Suja high up the hill with about 40 shacks that are in the process of going to be removed.

Last April about 200 people died from the heavy rains and most were in two favelas, Morro dos Prazers in Santa Teresa and Morro do Bumba in Niteroi. Prazers hill has always had problems with mudslides unfortunately and Bumba was the favela that was built on top of a garbage dump. With these two areas I agree with what the writer says. I do not know much about Sao Paulo favelas as I do not live there and feel it incorrect to write about something that I haven’t experienced personally.

I think favelas are dangerous because people living in them make illegal electrical connections to steal electricity and live under constant risk of electric shocks and devastating fires, which have happened lately in Sao Paulo favelas and have been widely reported on the media.
 
In some favelas this is true but in Rocinha where I live we have a company called LIGHT that is a joint venture of Brazilian and Canadian. We have a power grid at the bottom of the hill and most people DO PAY for their electricity. There will always be those who cheat whether it be steal electricity, cable or internet. When I lived in the USA I knew many people cheating the system. Its is not right, but people do it. All I can tell you is that I DO PAY a monthly electric bill. As for fires we have are usually due to stupid people burning garbage. Again I can not speak about Sao Paulo.

I think favelas are dangerous because they live off the grid,on stolen and invaded property, pay no taxes, have little or no social services such as Fire Departments, Police and Ambulance services due to difficult access due to it's lack of planning for streets or any access what so ever. 

In Rocinha we have our own firemen (Rambo da Rocinha being one) and since the building of the new hospital UPA, we do now have ambulances that go through our community. We have one main street and three smaller streets at the bottom of the favela. But Ray is correct that many favelas have dirst roads and not paved streets.

You need to understand the history of how favelas came to be and the laws about open not private land. Its obvious Ray that you are not from Brazil. Laws are different in other countries, you know? Some favelas do live off the grid and the land at the turn of the century was given to the people as the government did not follow through on their promise. The promise was that for those soldiers who fought in the Canudos War (1893-1897) on the side of the government, in the northeast of Brazil. The soldiers would receive in exchange jobs and housing. The soldiers were able to find jobs, but the government lied to the people and did not provide or help them with housing. Instead the government told the ex-soldiers that they could build their houses on the hills. The first official favela was Morro da Providencia (1898) which still exists today. So, this was how the favelas began being named after the thorny plant that grew on the hillsides.

There is also a law pertaining to open non private land that if a person can put up a house overnight and it is considered stable, they cannot be removed. This is foreign to people in other countries because of boundaries and laws, but this is how it works here. This is one reason the favelas grew. Lack of affordable housing for poor working class. If they want favelas to go away, the city needs to have a higher minimum wage, people have to pay their help more, so the poor have options other than favelas. But, please who are we kidding, favelados serve a purpose for low paid labor and the upper classes certainly do not want to pay us more..

I would love to see Rio run one week without “favelados” (favela residents like ME)..the city would shut down and collapse. Without us the city could not operate. Who would clean the streets, clean and services hotels and restarantes? Who would drive the buses the metro or taxis?

As for taxes again you do not know Brazilian law. If you earn under 1200 reais a month, you do not need pay taxes. In Rocinha the average salary is from 600-900 reais a month. Something many do not consider is that when we buy things, there is a fixed tax built into the price so we do pay taxes in that respect. But we receive nothing in return.

They living off the grid of society and the lack of easy access also allows drug traffic and other criminal organizations to hide and thrive inside favelas and with the complete lack of social order and little reach from organized society, favela residents have no choice but to fear and protect criminals under the so called "Lei do Silencio" "Silence Law", in other words, you should not be a "rat" like the mafia would say it, you should never be a witness to any crime, you should always be quiet. 

Yes, we do have the drug dealers but they do not mess with “trabalhadores” or workers. They do not control my life or anyone elses. And I certainly do not live in fear of them. They do their thing and I do mine.

The reason I do not snitch is becase I never have liked or trusted the police. Nobody in Rio likes the police or trusts them. They are undertrained, trigger happy corrupt ASSHOLES. Even the rich do not like them becase they always try to extort bribes. Maybe is Sao Paulo it is diferent but this is the way it is in Rio. When I leave the favela the police abuse me, put me on the wall search me and treat me like a dog. I am a honest hardworking person just trying to live a peaceful life. We who have lived in Rio and understood the military dictatorship still have trust issues with the system. It is very corrupt here. Lula has helped the poor more than most presidents but the corruption is still engrained especially in the police forces. So, who do you chose? The traffickers who leave me alone, who live in the community and do contribute to things here or do I trust the police, who don’t live here and abuse me everytime I step outside the favela?

Its very complicated. The drug lords work in conjunction with the government and police. The traffickers of course are NOT angels and do horrible things but the police do worse. We all know the traffickers evil side but with the police they are supposed to be the good guy, but they are not!!! When I lived in the USA I would not hesitate to ask a policeman for directions or talk to them but here, why? So they can harass me or try to get money from me?

Contrary to what you think Ray, there is actually more social order here. People do not steal, rob, rape, kill, molest kids…we do not have these problems. Our kids can run freely in our streets without a problem (unless of course the police come in). The traffickers act like police within the community and punish those who break these rules. Becase I am honest, I have no problems with the rules. And certainly do NOT live in fear!!! I feel free here as I can walk the streets at any hour and not be hassled by anyone. I would NEVER walk in Copacabana late at night. Funny to think that the places you think of being most dangerous can be safer than the formal city. The ONLY time the favela is dangerous is when the police try to enter. Do you know the traffickers PAY THE POLICE to stay out of the favela? That is how deep the corruption goes.

Favelas in Rio have fake streets and fake store fronts and home fronts to deceive and sometimes even trap police and unwanted intruders, many residents know about it but are not allowed to talk under fear. 

In Rocinha and Vidigal two favelas that I have lived this is not true! Please Ray tell me, where does this place exist?

Society should put their efforts in getting rid of all favelas, destroying all the dangerous homes hanging from a cliff and build decent apartment communities for these people in safe areas where they will have access to legal and safe electrical service, where they will live on a street with regular police presence and Fire and Ambulance service available to them as well as other community services available to the rest of Rio, who pays taxes and enjoy them, where they won't be under constant risk of being buried alive by a mountain side or a raging river. 

Good luck, getting rid of all favelas, nice idea? Do you really think the government wants to do this? Boy, would it be great if everybody could be equal and live happily ever after..sorry but you are living in dreamland!! Mother nature is cruel no matter where you live..some favelas yes have problems as you have mentioned but living in the flatlands people have problems too.

So they want to live in the center of it all, even by risking their lives and there is plenty of people who think favelas are a romantic part of the scene and there is nothing wrong with living that way.

Romantic..please can you explain to me how a favela is romantic? Who thinks like this..favelas are just places where people live..what do you mean "Living that way?" I live like you, only I may not have many material things..you think I live in a bad way? You need to come here and see for yourself..

..that along with the complacency of many and the ones who just ignore it...nothing or little will ever happen to improve the poor living situation of this humiliated part of society in Rio. 

So, Ray, what is your plan? You talk a lot with your “opinions” but what is your plan of action? You are the one that says "Humiliated", but I am no shamed to live in a favela..

Not to mention that many "middle and upper class" cariocas need the favelas to buy their daily drug of choice near their homes...so it sounds like nothing will ever be done to change that if you wait on the Cariocas who benefit from the presence of the favelas. 

Drugs are a WORLD problem, not just a problem in the favelas. Those upper class not only buy their drugs but also get the use of cheap labor from the favelas. Why would they want to lose this? I do not like drugs but all I can do is be a good representative of my community and help show the kids that there are other options than entering the drug trade.

Maybe they should just paint all the favela houses in white, it would look just like those coastal Greek towns on the side of mountains. I know this is not a popular opinion but I thought there should be nothing wrong if it is expressed with respect and honesty. 

Paint on the houses would be nice, I agree!!! Respect would be if you could actually speak from experience rather than media or hearing stuff from people (and are those people from favelas or just neighbors?). If you actually lived in a favela, you would have been more specific or mentioned names of places. Remember real people live in favelas and the last time I asked about 85% in Rocinha are happy, like me and do not want to move. Services are nice but what really brings me happiness is a community where I am loved, cared for, needed and wanted, not the invisible world of some penthouse apartment in Leblon. My spirit would die if I had to live there. Everybody values different things and at age 48 I am happy right where I am. I love Rocinha and Rocinha loves me too!!!

Interesting facts of favela life Part 1

2010-10-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

The top fotos are of the transportation here with both buses and Mototaxis available to take you anywhere.
The bottom fotos are of the neighborhoods (L) the Via Apia and (R) is the Largo do Boiadeiro located close to the bottom of the favela. Both neighborhoods are have all sorts of stores to satisfy anybodys shopping desires.

Many have emailed me and asked about things here in the favela. So, I decided to give a little explanation about these things.

Land- is something very scarce. Most of the land is taken. What trees and grass is left is green but on the steep hillsides. Its is dangerous to build there and people are told the risks of building on a steep incline. The start of the favela was at the bottom and it grew up the hills through time. Rocinha was originally settled by three families of Portugues, Italian and French origins. Laboriaux is the highest point in the favela which was settled by the French. Largo do Boiadeiro or Caminho do Boiadeiro was settled by the Portugues and the Via Apia was settled by the Italians. We used to have farms and people grew their vegetables here which is why it is called “Rocinha”. Rocinha means “little farm”. People would come to buy their vegetables here back in the 1930’s until about the 50’s. After the second huge migration of people, the area started to turn more urban as there was more building of houses. Rocinha now has a population of about 300,000 people.

Most people don’t really care about land so much. We value our houses more. We now have rights to our houses and do not have fears to be removed. So now you see many people continuously making home improvements. You could visit here tomorrow and return six months later and you will see changes here.

The majority of people who live here originally come from the North East of Brazil. My family was from Fortaleza but never made it back to their roots in Ceara. I hear of more people wanting to return there, after they save enough money. So, to some, the favela is a temporary place where they can live and work. But eventually they hope to be able to return to their roots someday. My roots are here and I am not leaving. The government started building a wall around the favela to prevent expansion. Favelas grew becase of people wanting and needing to build their homes. The wall is supposedly to protect the environment. Some think of it as another way the system is trying to inforce the social exclusion.

Houses- In most favelas the outside of the house and the way it looks is not so important as what is in the inside. Many houses look bad from the outside but once inside you would be surprised to see nice tiled floors and modern furniture with television set and DVD players. Recently I have seen many people installing satellite dishes. I do not have a tv so, this is not available for me. We have a cable tv company here called tvROC (tv Rocinha).

In Rocinha there are approximately 54,000 houses set in 64,000 meters of space. The majority of houses here in Rocinha are made with brick and cement. We still do have shacks here, mostly in the areas of Macega and Roupa Suja. The government wants to remove them because the houses are not sturdy built into the rock. Everytime it rains there, some shacks are destroyed. Or we have mudslides. Everybody desires to have their own house and we take pride in where we live. I would like to own a house someday. Inside our houses are very simple. We do not have drywall. Everything is brick. Most houses have windows. The windows are metal framed with glass on the inside. It is common to see houses without windows too. Most people have electricity and running water. In Brazil, tiles are popular because of them being cheap and easy to clean. The cheapest places to live is closer to the top of the hill. The more expensive houses and apartments are at the bottom of the hill. Foreigners have bought houses here. The average price for a 2 bedroom house is about $30-35,000 reais. At the bottom of the hill is double. We have two real estate offices here in Rocinha where you can go to buy a place. There is also one rental office. People often sell their homes privately, without the help of the RE office. Since there is no space around the houses, people build multiple floors.

Neighborhoods- (Cachopa, Roupa Suja, Capado) we have 25 different neighborhoods and sub neighborhoods here. These names help for us to know where we live. I live in area 7. But before I lived in Paula Brito. But I was born up on Rua 1. It is common for many people to move to other areas in the favela. The poorests areas are Macega, Roupa Suja, Cesario and the Valao. Some of the houses in theses areas do not have electricity or running water.

The names of the neighborhoods are significant to people who they are named after or because of a certain history of the place. The area of Roupa Suja was named after a area where women would come down the hill to wash their clothes and they would meet together doing their work and talking about the goings on in the favela. In other words, they would gossip while washing the clothes, hence the name Roupa Suja (dirty clothes or dirty laundry). Cachopa means pretty girl. I am not sure who the pretty girl was but she was from that area of the favela. Capado which is located high up the hill got its name from the woman who castrated her cheating husband one night after catching him in bed with another woman. The Valao is the area that has the open sewer system running through it. The word “vala” means ditch and “Valao” means big ditch.
Every area of the favela has a different vibe or feel to it. The Via Apia and Largo do Boiadeiro are heavily commercial and its always noisy there. In Paula Brito or Portao Vermelho its very quiet and not much going on there.

Street life-this refers to action going on in the street. Rocinha is a busy place and with only 1 main road, there’s a lot to see. There are many shops, bars and hang out places. Our houses are not big so its nice to go outside and talk with neighbors. In the “becos” or alleyways, people sit on stairs or just stand. Talk varies from gossip to family matters. When I get bored from being inside too long, I just walk down the street and its guaranteed that I will meet people I know. Its hard to be lonely here. People in the streets are friendly and do greet each other. At the bottom of the hill, there are street vendors and all sorts of people hanging out. The street food there is great too! You will see and hear cars with loud stereo systems. There is a “sound car” that drives through the neighborhood making announcements of whats going on in the favela. Capoeira demonstrations are a common sight. And during Carnaval we will have parades through out streets. From Thursday night to Sunday, parties are everywhere and people have churrascos on their rooftops.

Roads- roads are a luxury in any favela. Most favelas have dirt roads. We in Rocinha have one main street and 3 smaller streets. The streets are made of cement. I did see some repairs in the road last week that looked like black tar. Our main street is called Estrada da Gavea which runs from the bottom area of Sao Conrado cutting up the hill to the others side and neighborhood of Gavea. This street receives cars, buses, mototaxis, vans and now with all the construction, big trucks. Bicycles are not common but some do ride. There is a guy at the top of the hill in Rua 1 or first street (which is a alley way not a street), that has a horse. I see him out riding about once a month. My friend skateboards down the hill. He does it becase he does not have the use of his legs. The skateboard has been his transportation since he was 8. To get up the hill, he catches a mototaxi.

Garbage- this is my only complaint about favela life. There are areas sectioned off as garbage dumping places. But I still see people throwing trash on the ground. There needs to be more garbage cans so we can improve our trash problem. And the city needs to come in Rocinha more often and collect the garbage. I wish they would eliminate plastic bags and go to brown paper bags or the “bring your own” when people go shopping.

Transportation- I feel fortunate to live in a place that has transportation 24 hours. We have three bus routes that go to Leblon, Leme and Botofogo. The mototaxis serve primarily the favela but they can take you outside the favela to other areas for a higher price. Costs inside the favela are $2 reais but to go outside the cost is $2.35 for the bus and 2.20 for the vans. I mostly use the vans as they are the most convenient for me. At the bottom of the hill just outside of Rocinha is now a taxi stand for people who need to go longer distances. My friend uses the taxi to go to the airport.

Internet- we have over 80 Lanhouses or internet cafes. People can also have cable internet put in their houses. Recently the government put free WiFi here in Rocinha but its only available for those who have computers. About 20% of the population has computers in their homes. Even less have laptops. I am lucky to have a laptop and I can acess the WiFi on my roof but its not always a strong signal. Right now I am posting this at Leblon Shopping becase the internet connection is stronger and I can post fotos.

Furniture- it is reasonably priced but you will not find grade A quality either. Shops like Ikea don’t exist. The sofa I have is not the most confortable but it seats 3 people. I miss the couch or soft that you sink into. Or if you had to sleep on it, you would not wake up with a sore back. The mattresses on my bed are firm, well made and good for my back. Because we live in a tropical environment, bugs are common. After having mattresses destroyed by bed bugs and every other critter, I decided that after buying new mattresses that I would keep the plastic on them. Its strange sleeping on top of plastic covering but at least I know they will last a long time. I put a sheet over the plastic but still it takes time to adjust to the sound of plastic everytime you move. Computer chairs are very expensive here. 150 reais for a chair is crazy. But I found a used computer desk for 30 reais which is cheap.

Cell phones- almost everyone I know, has one. The way people here can afford cell phones is by buying minutes. I do not know anyone on a monthly rate. My cell phone, I am like everybody else and buy minutes. Talking on the fone is expensive. Text messaging is cheaper even though I hate it. I have seen a few blackberries and the rare iPhone. People have crazy ringtones like cats meowing or loud alarms going off. I heard one guy has his sound like firecrackers going off. He gets strange looks on the bus.

Television- the two most watched programs are Telenovelas and football. Practically everyone has a tv in the favela EXCEPT ME!!! I have seen simpel black and white tv's and huge flat screens. Most people are hooked up to cable tv or satellite dish service Skytv or Via. I do not like tv so much.

Music- you will hear all styles of music here. The most common music styles I hear everyday are Funk, Hip Hop and Pagode. Walking through the becos you hear more of a variety than on the street. Most popular is Lady Gaga, Justin Beiber and Beyonce for pop music from the US. I have even heard some heavy metal. And I have seen a few “Goths” walking the streets of the favela. They are no different from what you would see in the US, pale faces, long black hair and all black clothing.

I like a little humor too..

2010-10-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

I was sent these in a email and I thought some of you might like them..

The Zen of Sarcasm

1.Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.
2.The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.
3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.
10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.
12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.
14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
20.Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

AND
22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

Homeless World Cup: Team Canada

2010-10-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

My New Friends from Canada

The past week has been interesting. Copacabana hosted the Homeless World Cup from September 19th-26th. There were representatives from 54 different countries both men and women, playing a form of 4 on 4 football on artificial surface on a elevated platform. All this, on the beach within walking distance of the famous Copacabana Palace Hotel. Players from these countries were sponsored by various organizations or did their own forms of fundraising to make the trip to Rio. Nike was a main tournament sponsor, giving the players football shoes, shirts and shorts.

My friend Jim, who lives in Niteroi sent me a message about this tournament and I decided to volunteer to help out. For five days, I volunteered working the security gates at the venue checking badges to make sure the right people entered their perspective areas. My favorite part was to meet the athletes, see them play and hear their stories of how they are dealing with adversity. I have never been homeless, but I did live in a shelter for a while due to economic problems.

The purpose of this tournament is to bring awareness to homeless populations worldwide. The idea was started by Mel Young in a bar talking with friends. What better way to bring people together than the international appeal of football (or soccer). The criteria for the players is that within the last year they had to be homeless. They are only allowed to play in one Homeless World Cup tournament. Their slogan is “A ball can change the world”

The first team I met was from Finland and a player by the name of Patrick Kulmala. This mans story was sad. He was a former drug addict and because of his excessive use, lost his left arm. He still got out there and played with heart. When he returns to Finland he will have a job waiting for him and the support of his family to continue his recovery.

I had the opportunity to live in Canada for a while so when I saw the Canadian team, I wanted to talk to them. Other than my life here in Rio, if I had the chance, I would move to Canada. I love everything about Canada, the people, the beauty of the mountains in Vancouver, the multi-culturalism, the hockey, you name it…

It was difficult not to be drawn to Team Canada as their enthusiasm was amazing. The first player who I made contact with was Peter Chow as I saw an article written about him on the Homeless World Cup website (http://www.homelessworldcup.org). Team Canada had this spirit that everybody notice. They did not have the talent like Brazil or Chile but were so happy to be here in Rio taking part. Before each game they would do this synchronized dance in a circle to get the crowd going.

I made contact with Wendy and Kailin, two of the organizers with the team. They were interested in visiting the favela. Saturday after playing two games, I took the group to the favela. The idea was to play some hockey and soccer and interact with the people in the community. We found some kids at the Quadra Rua 1. It’s a big building that holds samba practices, baile funk parties and football games for the people in the favela. We rounded up some kids and got an informal game going. The kids eventually mixed in with the Canadians so favela kids were playing with them, not against them. For kids of the favela, most of them have never met people from Canada. We need to have more things like this here where our favela can meet and interact with other cultures.

There is much similarity in the social exclusion of favela residents and with the First Nations people of Canada. The majority of Team Canada were First Nations people. We share the same treatment in the countries we live. We are generally seen as a people with little or no value and not treated with respect. There are exceptions, but both Canada and Brazil have a ways to go with eliminating prejudice against “our peoples”. I think this is what drew me to enjoying Team Canada more than any other team. I understood and have experienced the same prejudices they have.

After playing some football we went to a friends rooftop that overlooks a 365 degree view of the favela. Many of the guys were amazed. I was so proud to have them there.
They had many questions and even some said they could easily live here in Rocinha.

The majority of these players come from addiction of abusive backgrounds but you would never know it from their professional behavior and respect of the favela. Not one person mentioned drugs or the social ills that plague our community. They were here to see absorb and take it all in. I am sure it made an impact on some of them.

The guys were hungry so we ate at one of my favorite little places at the top of the hill. Bar do Familia is the place I go when I am hungry and want to eat for under $7R a full meal. We fed the army of 12 Canadians for $50R. I got to talk with goalkeeper Kevin King about life here in the favela on a more personal level. I know that in the beginning he felt uncomfortable being in the favela, as for North Americans, the environment can be shocking. I explained to Kevin that he should not feel bad as most people are happy here. Just the fact of the Canadians being here, we feel like we have value. When you come to visit Rocinha, you embrace us as one of your own. Its not about the poorly built housing or lack of infrastructure that makes Rocinha, it’s the people. Yes, the favela has its problems but we have much good things going on here too. We have had to make do with what we have.

After the stomachs were full, I took them through the labrynth of alleyways that make up 95% of the community. Many took pictures and were intrigued with the chaotic building structures. The favela…no complaints, it is what it is!

I wanted them to see my house as I think it is important to be real with people when I show them Rocinha. I live here and have no shame of my small modest home. It works for me. The players and coaches went out on my roof and took many fotos including a small fireworks display that was going on. I tried to convince them the fireworks were for them, but could not b.s. this group.

When they all came inside to my living room, I showed them various clothing and things I had from my time spent in Canada. I still feel that I left a bit of my heart in Vancouver (which is where the team is from) and Toronto. I also had 6 hockey sticks and the plan was to find some kids to get a little 3 on 3, but all the players were tired from playing two soccer games and walking in the favela. So, we had to pass on the hockey, but I know someday, I will get a street hockey thing going here for the kids and I would love to have the Canadians in some way involved!

I think the team enjoyed my interest and love for their country. Before we left my house, several of the team presented me with a gift. The special act of receiving the “Eagle Feather” from the Canadians is something I will NEVER forget!!!! Now, I need for them to give me instructions on how I should display it as I want to show it the ultimate respect it deserves. I have it put away in a safe place until further instructions.

We continued our walk down the hill and at the bottom, my Capoeira friend Mestre Manel of Acorda Capoeira, was having a demonstration. To me, there are similarities in the First Nations Pow Wow gatherings and Capoeira. It’s a gathering of a cultural form of expression of specific peoples. There are rituals that are respected in both. To me, a Pow Wow and a Capoeira “roda” (or circle) are sacred and there are rules. Daniel Errey, one of the Team Canada coaches decided to participate in the “roda” and did very well for himself. I later found out that he had some experience and trained for sometime.

We moved on to the “Pasarella” or footbridge that crosses over to the Rocinha Sports Complex. The players took more fotos from the bottom of the favela looking up the hill of 54,000 houses. The Sports Complex was closed. The last stop was to see the Academicos da Rocinha Samba School. I explained about the history of samba and how it’s the focus point in many favelas in Rio.

At this point after about 6 hours, I could see the guys were tired of walking and wanted to get food and return to the hostels. I went with them in the van back to the Mellow Yellow Hostel in Copacabana, to eat dinner and then some decided to jump the subway train to party a little in Botofogo. I sat and talked until 2 am with the players and coaches and then had to get home as the next day I had the team from Belgium planning to visit the favela.

Team Canada, I know this will not be the last time I see you guys..I want to thank Wendy and Kailin for making this happen..and for coming and enjoying my community and showing yourselves as professional representatives of your country and cultures. I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU GUYS!!!!!!!

A Short History of Rocinha

2010-09-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, I had this request to post a short history of Rocinha IN PORTUGUES...for my Portugues friends..so here it is

O breve histórico da Rocinha –

Parte 1

O breve histórico da Rocinha

A comunidade da Rocinha celebra aproximadamente 80 anos de mudanças, lutas e conquistas. Teve origem no final da década de 20 era uma enorme fazenda de café, inicialmente foi povoada por imigrantes portugueses e espanhóis. A forma de subsistência se dava com o cultivo de hortaliças que ofereciam às pessoas que percorriam a estrada da Gávea, como alimentos oriundos de suas rocinhas. Daí o nome da maior favela da América latina.
As terras foram divididas em grandes glebas para consumo agrícola, a maior parte delas pertenciam a CIA portuguesa Cássio Guidon, a bairro Barcelos a CIA Cristo Redentor e o Laboriaux pertencia a uma CIA Francesa. Nesta época alguns guardas sanitários foram instalados para controlar uma infestação de mosquitos que estavam causando febre amarela na barra da tijuca.

Em 1938 a estrada da Gávea foi asfaltada, local onde ocorria o circuito da baratinha. Contudo, acelerou-se o processo de ocupação por pessoas que acreditavam ser as terras públicas. A partir dos anos 50 houve um aumento de migração de nordestinos ao rio, principalmente direcionados para a Rocinha e em 1960 e 1970 houve o segundo surto de expansão, pois o projeto para construção dos túneis Rebouças e dois Irmãos para melhorar a integração da cidade, ofertou para a população opções de emprego. Nas décadas de 50 e 60 se iniciou então as grandes modificações na arquitetura, nos hábitos de vida e nas relações socias desta população predominantemente nordestina.

O descaso do governo com a comunidade, a falta de infra-estrutura, isto é, construção de barracos de papelão, degradação da floresta, crescimento desordenado, distribuição de água através de bicas entre outros problemas, provocou grande indignação, reivindicações e abaixo assinados. Sobretudo a população se organizou e muitas lutas se iniciaram e fizeram parte das conquistas desta comunidade. As lutas de nossos antepassados nos anseia coragem e esperança para dar continuidade por melhores condições de vida.

Parte 2

E foi a partir da década de 70 que a comunidade obteve os primeiros progressos, resultado das reivindicações ao poder público, como a implantação de creches (a veterana foi ASPA), escolas, jornal local, passarela, canalização de valas, agência de correios, região administrativa...Já o posto de saúde foi criado em 1982 com muitos esforços dos moradores, através da iniciativa do padre local que ofertou à comunidade um presente de natal. Então os moradores se mobilizaram para acontecer a canalização do Valão, por conseguinte, criou-se o posto de saúde. Nesse processo algumas famílias que habitavam no Valão foram deslocadas para o Laboriaux, no qual havia 75 casas construídas pela prefeitura, sendo que 2 estas foram fundidas e criada a creche Yacira Frasão.

E a luz? As pessoas contam algumas histórias que parecem lendas. Porém é interessante lembrar, que a primeira luz não foi elétrica. Diz o povo que um cavaleiro atravessava a rocinha acendendo lampiões das pequenas casas. Depois foi implantada cabines de energia que fazia distribuição para as famílias mais próximas. No proceder passou a ter comissões de luzes (bairro Barcelos e Rocinha). A igreja católica em parceria com a pastoral de favelas, pressioram a light para implantar energia elétrica nas comunidades. E a Rocinha foi uma das primeiras beneficiadas.

Em meio a realizações que foram adquiridas com o tempo, a rocinha ainda carecia de equipamentos sócias e culturais suficiente para atender toda a comunidade. Mas os raros que atuam desenvolvem trabalhos significativos. Nesse sentido políticas públicas deveriam resolver as questões crucias que afetam esta população.

Parte 3

A Rocinha têm características peculiares, por exemplo, atualmente encontramos no bairro Barcelos uma grande variedade de comercio e serviço e um grande número de imóveis residências de qualidade. Já em outras áreas, como a vila Macega, encontramos casas de madeira em situação de risco sem infra estrutura, onde diversas famílias vivem em extrema pobreza. Sua população é estimada em 120.000 moradores pelos registros da CIA de energia elétrica, em 62.000 pelo último censo oficial e em mais de 250.000 segundo os moradores.

A comunidade teve um grande avanço, pois recebeu um projeto do governo federal, cujo nome, Rocinha mais legal, que visa, legitimar os imóveis com a legalização do terreno. Através da ONG Bento Rubião. Sobretudo, receberá um novo projeto para reurbanização que trará grande beneficio para os moradores melhorando o espaço de convivência.

E essa a Rocinha.

: )

Zezinho da Rocinha!

Sit Down, this is going to be a long one!

2010-08-25T16:19:00.005-07:00

fotos: Mike do Skate with the board I gave to him and a foto of the Puzzle project being done by Ryan J Goode, professor of Geography is San Diego.

God helps those who help themselves…this is a long one..

My mother used to say this to me. I am not sure how much god has to play in all this so I interpret it as “you can’t just talk the talk, you need to walk the walk.”

After reflecting on the years I spent abroad, coming back to Rocinha, I am very thankful. Rocinha has given me so much. I made a decision to start helping the community back in 2004 when I started raising money for Two Brothers Foundation, a non profit here in Rocinha. I have since moved onto other projects, but that was the start. I am now involved with many different projects of different sizes. I feel like the octopus with 12 arms, each representing something I am involved in.

My website is helping to make things happen here: My website has brought so many good things happening here in Rocinha. I have had the opportunity to meet some great people from all over the world. But like anything, success (not necesessarily monetary) brings people who question my intentions and who are jealous. These are mostly people from foreign countries. There are enough people here in Rocinha who know the work I am doing and it is not just about “favela tours”. It suprises me to see foreigners questioning my work. These are people who are staying in favelas or volunteering in favelas. I think they think that somehow I am exploiting my own community. One person was doing research on favela tourism. The other was working for Catalytic Communities which is a NGO working in several favelas. I guess that because they are staying in a favela, there thought of the favela tour as exploitive. I can understand if I was from the outside, but I am from here and LIVE here. Any money I earn is used here in the favela. My money does not leave here. I buy everything from here. I am a active participant in the favela economy. I will write more below about what things and projects I am working on here.

Please respect my work: I receive many emails from students who are studying various things about favelas. Most are great people but I have recently met some who expect the world of me. They send me all these questions to answer for their research and they want a “complete” tour….all for FREE! I live in the favela because I don’t have a lot of money. They expect all of this for nothing? Then you are either cheap or you don’t really value my work. Exploitation of the favelado. I am tired of this. I am not stupid and I am not here to be taken advantage of. My work is good and it has value. So, please respect my right to earn my living.

Thank You Y: I returned to Rocinha becase I felt I could more to help the community. The idea of the website is to promote Rocinha. Anybody who takes the time to look through and read the 40+ pages or so can see that its not just a tour website. My website involves many people from the community. This was how I wanted my site to stand out from the others. Yvonne of Toronto, Canada, I need to thank a great deal for coordinating the design and content for the website. She first came to Rocinha in 2002, she loved to dance and the samba culture here and decided to return each year after. Two years ago she wanted an intensive, complete tour of the favela. This took 3 days, about 8 hours each day. She wanted to know everything about the place. So, I gave her the tour. After seeing my work, she wanted to help. I did not have money and I knew nothing about websites. She offered to help for no cost, so I told her she will always have a place to stay in Rocinha. I thought this the best as I had a extra room that she could stay.

My life in the US: My mother, who is American, thought I may have more opportunities in the US and this is why I was there to see if this was true. Many people ask about my living in the US. When I was living in the US my quality of life was actually worse because of my living conditions. Because of lack of money and only a part time job, I had to resort to some “illegal” living situations. One place I was living was in the basement of a nightclub. I rented the small space for $150 a month. I told the people that I was going to use the space as storage. By American standards, nobody would ever imagine somebody living in this space. They knew I was a dj, so I think they thought I was using the space for dj equipment and to practice. The club was open until 3 am so I never had a problem coming or going. The floors were made of cement and it was only a room, no kitchen services or bathroom. My “bed” was a door supported on bricks and several layers of blankets. I could not afford a mattress at the time. I had to go to the restaurant next door to use the bathroom and I also got a cheap membership at a gym to be able to shower. To wash clothes I had to walk four block from my place. Another place I stayed was a monastery run by monks. Again it was just a room. It was simply furnished but I had to contribute 15 hours a week of work to stay there. I also squatted in abandoned buildings sleeping in fear that somebody might “jack” me or my stuff (not that I had a lot of stuff). The difference is here in Rocinha, I have stability with family, a good circle of friends and people in the community who support my work. The whole idea about living in the US was to see life there. There was no money tree or American dream for me, only struggles and trying to survive. I think living there and having those experiences made me stronger but also made me realize how good I had it in Rocinha. But I do not regret any of it. Its part of life experiences.

Honesty about my work: Most who contact me, want a more personal visit to the favela. I do not mislead people with the tours. I do let my guests know that they could come here on their own if they wanted but would probably get lost or not know where the points of interest are. Rocinha is a huge place. Some do come back for funk parties or just to hang out and eat. Feel free to come into Rocinha on your own but stay on the main street and leave your camera at home. The media is the culprit for spreading fears about favelas. So, for the average foreigner who does not have contacts, who wants to visit the favela, how else are they to do that? What truths are they given about favelas? So, this is why they take a tour. It is important to know that depending on the favela, it is not advisable to just go walking in on your own. There are some favelas that are dangerous and do not receive tourists. Rocinha is different in that we receive over 200 visitors a day. Daniel and Amanda from Stockholm Sweden not only took a tour but came back several times just to visit, eat and go shopping. I have a rule, the first time, guests pay because it is my work. The following times I was with them, there was no fee. You return as a friend, who respects me and the community.

Poverty tours? People ask me about “poverty tourism” or “poverty tours”. I am not showing that. Yes, favelas are poor, but poor compared to what? India, Africa? I had one visitor from Egypt tell me that Rocinha reminded them of back home in a middle class area. Rocinha is a poor working class area, the focus being on “working class”. I am here to provide a social and cultural experience, that focuses on the good things. Everybody already knows about the bad and I don’t feel it is important to reinforce negative and sometimes exaggerated media stories.

I don’t even like the word “tour”, because it really does not describe what I do or offer. When creating the website and the name, I was confuse as to what names to use but Yvonne told me that I need the word “tour” in my website address otherwise nobody would find me. Hopefully in reading the website, the informed person can then make decisions based on what they read. And if they want to know more, they can always contact me.

People’s Perceptions: Just because I am a tour guide here does not mean that I am making lots of money. It is now low season, so work is little. The month of April I only made $430R. One month I can make this or I can make $1200R a month. I never know. When I returned to Rocinha, many people had assumptions that I had or made a lot of money in the US. To give you a idea, the average house here in Rocinha costs about $30,000R (about $17,000US). My dream is to someday have a house that I own. I still have not reached that dream. Most people by my age here in the favela own their places, while I still rent. So this should give you a idea of my financial situation. I am not starving but there are many people who live here in the favela that have and make much more money than I do.

The challenges of outdoor tourism are, if it rains, I can not make tours here because its miserable and the place looks more ugly and gray. But people have this idea in their head that if you are a tour guide, you must be making a lot of money, because you are working with tourists. If you are a older established tour company then you will be making much more. I am still new guy out there. People need to understand this. My website is only one year old. I started this FAVELA ADVENTURES to expose favela culture to the outside world and to dispel the myths about the people who live here. If I am able to create a job for myself and others, then even better. I have always believed that people who live in the favela, should be the tour guides.

Employing Guides from Rocinha: this has always been the first priority for me. I think it is the right thing to do. Again it involves WE who live here. At this time, I have three guides available who are all from Rocinha. Washington, who was raised in Roupa Suja, is my best and most reliable guide. He speaks English perfectly and with confidence. Melodia, born and raised on Rua 4 (4th street). His English is getting better everyday. It helps that his girfriend only speaks English to him. Melodia is also one of the instructors from ACORDA Capoeira which is one of the cultural programs on my website. Tomas right now is in school but after he completes, I will be working with him. He is 21 years old, from Vila Cruzeiro, a part of Rocinha, but lived in the USA for some years. And he also speaks English perfectly. I will only hire guides from here in the favela. (see fotos of Melodia and Washington)

Helping programs in the community: I started helping people here in Rocinha when I found out about this school who taught English. This was in 2004. This was before my tour guide days. I was djing and making art to live. But I saw this project needed help, so I would donate a portion of what I earned djing and with the t-shirts to this program. It was called Two Brothers Foundation. I dj’ed a party at a fundraiser for Two Brothers in December of 2008 at the Loca Luna Lounge in Atlanta. Through working with Two Brothers, I met Viviana (Vivi) Rodrigues, the president of Two Brothers at that time, and she introduced me to a friend of hers, Alexandre who lives in Sao Paulo. Alexandre has a football program for favela youth in Diadema. He needed equipment for the kids. I was able to talk to a guy in San Francisco about donating used or old football things. Sunset Soccer, is a store owned by Toby Rapport. Toby loves Brasil and football. He has been to Brasil many times with teams who are competing. He currently teaches football programs all over San Francisco. So, Toby donated footballs and uniforms to the kids. I packaged and sent them on to Alexandre’s project. These two projects were the beginning of my helping people. You can contact Viviana at viviana2bros@hotmail.com and Alexandre in Sao Paulo at: alexandrebmx@hotmail.com. Alexandre has a link his program go to Facebook and type in "IBCFOFICIAL ONG" "Crianca Feliz" is the name of the project.

Tio Lino: In 2009, I parted ways with Two Brothers. I found a project here that called out to me, it was Tio Lino’s Mundo de Arte in the Valao (a area of Rocinha). I have always loved to draw and design t-shirts. So, meeting Tio was one of the best things that happened to me. I asked around to many friends here about Tio and not one person had anything negative to say about him. Tio is about 60 years old and is born and raised here in Rocinha in the house that he currently uses for his art school. He has been teaching kids for 30 years. He used to be a lifeguard down at Posto 13 on Sao Conrado beach. Now that he is retired, he dedicates his time to the kids. I was not sure how I could help and decided just to hang out and help Tio teach the kids art. When I started doing the tours, I asked Tio if there is anything he needed. Even though I live in the favela, I still wanted to give money to a project that is deserving. Tio later suggested that I could help with art materials. Kids needed paints, brushes, glue, markers, scissors etc. So, I started buying materials and giving a portion of what I made to his school. Many tourists also make donations of art materials as well. Tio is one person in the community that I look up to and admire. In December, Tio stepped on something sharp that cut his foot. Soon after, his foot became infected and several of his toes turned black. He had gangrene. In January he went into the hospital to have half his foot removed. Tio’s art school was closed for almost 4 months. He did not return to the school until the end of April. I was not able to bring visitors by the school because it was closed. I really wanted to show them the project I support but how could I? Tio is back, but he is still in a cast and walking using crutches. We are all happy Tio is back.

Mike do Skate: Mike is another guy I admire here. He is about 40 and sells beer at all the parties here. Mike has no use of his legs so his transportation is his skateboard. I saw a program on television with this guy Raimiro who has only one leg. Raimiro’s show is about him taking part in activities that most disabled would not do. I have seen Raimiro skydive, bungee jump and ski. In his regular life, Raimiro uses a artificial leg. But this show was to be different. Raimiro wanted to learn how to get around on a skateboard, so they filmed the show here in Rocinha. Mike taught him how to ride. At the end of the show Mike gave his skateboard to Raimiro. When I saw this I thought it would be nice if I could design something nice for Mike. He had always been asking me about t-shirts and designs. But for this, I wanted it to be different. So, I got a board with wheels and trucks. I stripped off the design that was already on the board and painted Mike sitting on his skateboard holding a beer. Added the words “Mike do Skate” (Skateboard Mike). When I returned to Rocinha, I saw Mike one day selling beer, so I went home and got the board for him. When I gave it to him, he was shocked. He thought he was not deserving of this, but I told him he was. A few days later I saw him and asked him why he was not riding the board I gave him. His response was “Its like a trophy, I can not ride that.” I guess if he really needs it, he will ride it. (see foto above in title of blog entry)

Rebecca and the rooftop project: I met Rebecca several times when I was in San Francisco at parties. She is university student who later contacted me about interest in Rocinha. She came to visit Rio July 2009 with her friend Luciano who is a portugues instructor in San Francisco. Rebecca contacted me through email about wanting a tour of the favela with Luciano, who is from Brazil. I am surprised because I rarely get Brazilians who have interest to tour favelas. Well, I met Rebecca and Luciano and after their visit, Rebecca told me that she would like to return to make a project here. I told that I would help her get the contacts to make her project happen. She went back to the US to study and was able to get a grant to make her project here. Her idea is to teach people in the favela how to make rooftop gardens. When she arrives I will make sure she can complete her project. Rebecca’s website: http://www.rebeccanajdowski.com Contact Rebecca here : rebeccanajdowski@yahoo.com (see foto Rebecca & Luciano)

Money as a tool: Some people get strange when the topic of money is brought up, especially in poor areas, because there is not much of it. I believe money is a tool that can affect change and be used to help others. Unfortunately we all need it to survive and it measures our “work” value in society. I want to get money but not just for myself. Because with money, I can then make things happen. When I returned to Rio, I wanted to link with programs that could benefit people. The first contact I made was with Casa 579 in Santa Teresa, a guesthouse. I told Teresa who manages the guesthouse that I wanted to help a program that they support. Within 15 minutes walk there is a small favela called Julio Otoni, which Casa 579 supports. When Casa refers me people, I give a portion to the Julio Otoni project, which is a small community center in the favela. These places help me and in turn I can help them. Their website is: http://www.casa579.com

Painting houses: I heard about Haas and Hahn through the media. Two Dutch guys painting in favela communities. The first was Vila Cruzeiro where they painted a boy flying a kite that covered several houses and the koi fish design near a large stairway going up the community. And now painting houses in Santa Marta. I am a artist and loves anything to do with art here in the favela.

I went out to watch some of the painting they were doing. Coral was their sponsor who contributed paint and uniforms to the residents who helped in the project. About 28 men were able to paint about 35 houses mostly in the main square at the bottom of the favela.
I returned one day to see the last days of painting and they invited me to a party celebrating the project that would be held about 2 weeks later. I decided that I was so moved by the beauty and colors of the houses, that I wanted to do something. I had some t-shirts done up in honor of Santa Marta “Uma Comunidade Linda”. When I went back for the party I gave out the shirts for free to the painters who took part in the project. I don’t know why I did this, but it felt good to see people happy and proud of their community. For more information on favela painting and how you can help: http://www.favelapainting.com

Blessings from the North: In 2008 and 2009, I had opportunities to talk to many universities and students about favelas and the culture of life here. Through the internet, I found this website http://www.blessings4brazil.com . I noticed that they helped favela communities here in Rio. I cannot remember the first contact or who made it. All I know is that Lauri Francis, the creator of this NGO came to hear me speak at NYU (New York University) in downtown Manhattan. She traveled over an hour just to meet me. I was honored for her to think of me as having this value. She is a woman who is working full time, going to school to get her doctorate in education, and she is running this NGO.

Her project helps teachers with materials and support in the classroom. This is especially needed here in the favelas. She began her work in another favela and had interest to visit Rocinha. She wanted a tour but also wanted to spend some time here and see some of the projects I am working with. I first introduced her to Tio Lino because I know he can use the help. Liliane Smith from Holland and Lauri, both helped to build and create a small library in Tio’s studio. Lauri also bought many books and materials to help the kids there. Lauri has other plans to help Tio and I to raise money to repair the roof of the studio that was destroyed by the heavy rain in April.

The next week, Lauri returned to Rocinha to look into another project that I thought needed help. Viviana who used to work at Two Brothers, teaches pre-school full time at Escola Moranguinhos. Lauri met Vivi and they both made a connection. Lauri returned to Escola Moranguinhos and brought many books with her. It makes me happy that I am able to connect people who can offer help to those who are deserving. Viviana and Tio Lino do not have computers. But for more information about Tio Lino’s Mundo de Arte, Escola Moranguinhos or blessings4brazil, you can contact Lauri at lauri@blessings4brazil.com

Puzzle Connections: It’s amazing how connections with people work. In june of 2009, Ryan Goode, a teacher at San Diego State University contacted me through Facebook about visiting his university to give a talk to the students about favelas. He wanted me to come in October. I went, gave the talk and stayed in touch. He was nice to show me around the city and we ate at this Italian restarant that I will never forget. The best spaghetti and meatballs I ever had. He contacted me soon after saying he was coming to Rio to study portugues and do some university work. He needed a place to stay and he wanted to stay in Rocinha. So, he stayed with me for two months. We were on my roof overlooking the community one day and I made the comment that it would be interesting to have a “quebra cabeca” or a puzzle made with a fotograph of Rocinha. With the density of the houses I thought it would be a great challenge for people who like puzzles. Ryan agreed. My idea would be to make such a puzzle to sell, but to raise money to help with Tio Lino’s damaged roof. Part of the profits would go directly to Tio. The other part of the money would go to the costs of developing the puzzle. I think this kind of puzzle would be a great learning tool for students. So, I contacted a friend of mine Tee Cardaci who is a web designer to hook up with Ryan to build a small website about our fundraising efforts. The site is in the development stages and I hope it will be up soon. All I want out of all of this is just one of the puzzles. I will let you know how this goes as the project moves forward. If you want to contact Ryan about this his email is: rjgoode@gmail.com

Surf favela: One of the guys I work with is a surf instructor. He is Ricardo “Bocao” Ramos. He has been teaching surfing to the kids in Rocinha for 22 years. He used to be homeless and lived on the beach. He was a surf bum. But as he got older things changed for the better. As he was surfing he met guys on the beach that would give him broken surfboards. He would fix these boards and then give them to kids and teach them how to surf. His project became a realty and a full NGO after getting interest from Jack Johnson and several professional surfers. Jack Johnson and the Surf Rider Foundation came to Rocinha in 2007. This gave “Bocao” more exposure to his program of teaching favela youth how to surf. He has over 65 students enrolled in his programs. His non profit is called “Surf Escola Rocinha” and is located in the front of the new sports complex just outside of Rocinha. I often receive visitors to my website that want to learn surfing. So, I will set them up with “Bocao”. The last guest Bocao taught was Michael Kranz from Germany. This past April a brother and sister from Vancouver both took lessons from him and they did not even know how to swim. The guests paid Bocao directly for the surf lessons and I do not take a commissions fee. I saw Bocao teach before I decided to work with him. I wanted somebody who I trust and who is good at what they do. Bocao has been great according to the guests who wrote me after to say how much they enjoyed learning to surf with Bocao. This August 31, I will be Dj’ing a party for the surf school to help promote their work. If you are in Rio at the time, come on by. If you want more information about Bocao’s program or you would like to learn to surf, contact me and I wil set up a meeting with him.

There are some other projects still in the talking stages, one is about bringing solar energy to rocinha clarkenigel@gmail.com , starting a kids road or indoor hockey program, and there are others but I will write about them as they get closer to action being taken.

One last thing, I want to mention is this…

Perdeu… perdeu!!!!! These are the words often said by a robber to his victim in Rio. They say this as they are taking your money or backpack..you name it..they says this..
My idea started after reading this blog about my friend Leandro, who had his backpack stolen. I know Leandro personally and he is class A people. He is a university student, a photographer and currently has a job working with the PAC (slum upgrading) project here in Rocinha. He also lives in Rocinha very close to my house.
As I was reading his blog, I was saddened by the thought of him losing his passion of photography. I know if I was robbed of my passion, I would be depressed too. The story goes is that he was in Barra de Tijuca (which is a rich neighborhood) and he was on the sidewalk when a motorcycle came out of nowhere. The robber stuck a gun in his face and told him to give the backpack. So, my friend gave him the backpack. It’s ironic that in the favela this kind of thing would never happen.
Leandro had already asked me to Dj his party as his birthday is on the 16 of October. I have enough time to put my plan into action. Leandro has no idea but I will be buying him a new camera. I think he will be very happy. I made some money in the last two months and I put savings away for this. I want nothing from this, only the satisfaction that I was able to help somebody who needed it. The person who is helping me with this is Rick Echavarria of New York. He has returned to New York and I have given him the money to buy the camera. Cameras are more than double the price here in Brazil. Rick will be returning to Rocinha in September before my friends birthday. I invited Rick to Leandro’s party as I want him to see Leandro’s face when he opens the box to see a new camera. And then he can go back to his passion of Photography. Leandro’s website is: http://www.faveladarocinha.com its in Portugues, but I guess if you need translate it, google should be able to help. To contact Rick about this project, his email is: rickechavarria@gmail.com

As you can see, I am very involved in the community and not just a tour guide. I have always said, the Favela is about WE not ME!!!

If you have questions about any of the projects I have listed here, feel free to contact them.

BOPE/UPP and the taking over of Favelas

2010-07-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, because of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics arriving here., the city is trying to clean up the image of Rio being a dangerous place. Statistics say that about 5-6 people a day are killed in Rio, this with a population of about 6.5 million. Most, if not all, are usually people from the favelas involved in drugs or innocent bystanders in these communities.

The UPP are supposed to be the “new” police force, a branch of the Policia Militar, who are to installed in the favelas. The idea is to get rid of the guns and violence. They know that they cannot eliminate drugs totally but they want the guns gone. There are many problems that come with this. Most communities of corse want guns and violence gone, but the problem stems in trust of the police. Favela residents, me included have no liking for the police becase of what they represent. To us they are corrupt and abusive people.

We have experienced so many years of abuse from the police even back when Brazil had the military dictatorship. Its very difficult after years of mistrust to all of a sudden expect the people to embrace the “new” police forces coming to “pacify” our communities. The police have a lot of work to do to gain the trust of the people and it will not happen overnight.

The way the police overtake a favela is they first send in the Elite Forces (BOPE) with their big skull, an armoured vehicles that drives through the favelas intimidating the residents, children included, by threatening to shoot them if they are on the street. They usually come in shooting. I think of them like trigger happy mercenaries that just want to destroy any living thing. The police usually announce they are coming beforehand to give the drug traffickers the opportunity to leave without incident. With most of the recent take overs, it has been fairly simple for the BOPE to come in and then after the UPP’s (Police Pacifying Units) are installed in the community. I often wonder if this is a temporary thing and if after the Olympics, will they leave and open up opportunity for the traffickers to return?

Once the UPP’s are there, their job is to show a presence in the community. In Santa Marta in Botofogo which has been under UPP control for over a year, there have been problems. When I went there to visit a friend, I spoke to him about the installation of the police and he felt, not much had changed in regards to them being there. Yes, the guns were gone, but drugs still were there. The safety net and security of the community that the traffickers provided was gone. People now in the favela were experiencing petty crime in the favela like house break ins and bicycles being stolen. These things did not happen when the traffickers were in control. These things are happening becase there is no punishment becase the police to not POLICE the favela. When I was there, they sat at the bottom of the hill in their car or were sleeping. I saw NO police walking through the favela trying to create a sense of dialog with the residents. My friend told me that not only petty crime but police abusing residents for no reason is still common.

I think most people, including the rich have a dislike for the police because they don’t do anything other than try to hustle bribes from mostly honest people. When I lived in the USA, I never saw this kind of thing. The police tried to police, but here they rarely do anything unless there is a cash payoff for them. This is becase they get paid so little. The police military starting salary is $1200 reais a month. I wonder where these guys live on this salary? Favelas perhaps? No wonder they extort bribes from innocents.

I live here in the favela and I fear the police more than the drug traffickers. There is something wrong with that when a law abiding citizen takes more comfort in feeling safe with a traffickers versus a police officer. There is something very wrong here. But this is our reality in the favelas of Rio.

Right now the favela is tranquil and quiet. We still have the PAC projet going on here which is why I think nothing big will happen yet. But after the government sponsored slum upgrading projet (PAC) is finished, I expect the UPP’s to make their move here. They want to clean up any tourist areas especially in the South Zone here in Rio.

It will be very interesting to see how things “go down” here in Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio with the implantation of these UPP units and if it happens. Who knows maybe the traffickers will make some sort of deal with the police. Hard to say as we can only wait and see.

For me, I am happy the way it is now as “the devil you know is better than the devil you DON’T know”

Jeep Tours Cancelled

2010-07-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

I have written before about tourism here in the favela in previous blogs. I know that the Jeep Tours have been making tours of this favela for at least 10 years now. I remember seeing them back in 2001 but had no idea they were tours. I thought it was researchers working on specific projets here. I never really took notice of them until I started working in tourism myself. Then I started to take notice of what they do. This was important for me to know so I could offer a better experience for guests coming here.

They are a company that also does other tours around Rio de Janeiro. They are owned by a person who does not live in the favela and never did. Every now and then I would see then hire a driver from the favela, but not once did I ever see one of the tour guides from here. This is common with all the tour companies that work here. I only know 3 guides from the favela that work with these large companies. Favelatour.com I know has 10 guides working for them and only one is from here in Rocinha.

I know in the last three months many people in the favela started to speak up more against the Jeep Tours as they felt the tour operator presented Rocinha in a not very favorable way. First, people sitting in jeeps driving through a community, especially a poor one, made the visit out to be like a safari. The second was lack of connection or interaction with the residents. I know that I felt strange when walking in my community and somebody in a jeep would take my picture. I am not a (dangerous) animal in a zoo. I am sure that if I went to this persons community and did the same thing, I do not think they would like this. I know this sounds strange but imagine if I went to your community and took pictures of you, your house, your car, your child(ren), cat, dog etc., with little or no interaction with you…..you get the idea I am saying now? I can speak for most here in the favela when I say, that if you come on a tour here, please make a walking tour and try to find a guide who is from HERE IN THE FAVELA. When you walk through the community, you show that you embrace our community without fear. We appreciate this! And when you use a guide from here, you will get someone who knows everything about this place and will answer your questions honestly.

So, I cannot say the whole story but these tours stopped after the death of our Vereador (Councilman) Claudinho da Academia. All I can say is that our residents association decided that it best that these tours are not allowed here anymore. And I for one, are happy that they are gone. Who’s next?

Why English

2010-07-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

Many people write and ask me why I write in English. The main reason is because in Brazil, people do not want to read about favela life. They have no interest. Actually most Brazilians have fear of favelas or they are ashamed about them. The majority of people who want to know about life here in the favela are people who are not from Brazil. Foreigners do not have the same kind of prejudice or judgement. Te media bombards people here in Rio especially about favelas and very rarely is anything nice said about them. This is why people grow up in Brazil, having these fears.

It is a shame becase a lot of good things come from places you would not expect, like favelas. My life is far from being a paradise or perfect, but I can say that my life is good and I am thankful. I have wonderful people in my life who I value. These same people are proud to live here and not ashamed to say they live in a favela.

I know many here in Rocinha that would not admit to living here to outsiders for fear of being judged. Unfortunately, there is this classist system here where poor people who live in favelas are made out to be criminals. The media does not help as all they show on tv about favelas are negative things. No wonder the middle and upper classes have fears of us. But these images need to change. The outside world needs to know that the favela is much more than the drugs and violence. There are many good and hard working people here.

I do not think people in Rio understand but take away, Carnaval, Samba, Capoeira, Feijoada, Pagode and Brazil, especially Rio would not have a identity. Those things I mentioned are ALL from the favelas.

Everyday life

2010-07-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

Living in the largest slum in South America has its challenges. Life is very simple here. Water is one of those daily challenges. Here in Rocinha our water tanks on the roof are filled once a week. We have a pumping station at the top of Rua 1, which gets the water from the forest deep in the woods beyond Portao Vermelho, here in the favela. In the woods this water reserve is like a fresh spring and you can drink the water from there. Once the water is pumped through pipes, you cannot drink the water.

I watch how much water I use but I always have a back up. When it rains, I put buckets on the roof to collect the rainwater. I filter the water and put it in 2 litre bottles. I save this extra water for times when there is no water. I have saved about 30 bottles, about 60 litres. In the past, I have been without water, so conserving and saving is important.

When it rains its great as our resource builds up but for those who live high up the hill it can be dangerous. Some people who built shacks up under the tract of two brothers mountain did not think about erosion or building their houses into the rock. I read yesterday that 2 barracos (shacks) and a small bar were destroyed in the favela, becase of the recent rains. If it rains more than 3 days, there is always someone’s house damaged.
In April 3 lives were lost and 6 houses completely destroyed. This happens in many favela communities.

The streets here also flood and the water running down the hill could easily sweep a small child away to their death. Garbage is also taken down the hill. I once saw a refrigerator, a desk and a motorcycle helmet “swimming” downhill. The city clean up crews are used to this here in Rocinha as all the garbage meets at the bottom of the hill very close to the rich areas. So, of corse the city cleans it as soon as they can so the rich people do not complain.

Comparing US Ghettos to Favelas

2010-05-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

These are MY observations and opinions about what I see are the differences between American ghettos and the Brazilian Favelas. I am not a expert. This is my opinions from being in both places, what I see are the differences between the two places.

I remember reading a somebodys post on a internet website about them wanting to visit a favela. There were people who responded negatively and one response in particular made me think. The responder had wrote “You would not go into a poor neighborhood in your own country, so, why would you want to do this in Brazil?”

For foreigners, I think attraction to favelas is different because of the way the media portrays these communities. It first starts in how Brazil is promoted by tourism and films. City of God brought the favela issue to the front and this brought more attention to the favela. Carnival and Samba also created curiosity about the favelas. Foreigners were not raised with the prejudice against the favelas like Brazilians have been. Its sad becase much of Brazilian identity is from that of the favelas. Carnival, Samba, Feijoada, many of brazil’s top football players, and Capoeira all come from favelas.

Ghetto’s, favelas, whatever we call them are underserved areas of poor people. How poor? You would have to decide on your own what levels of poverty exist there. I can tell you in living in the favela here, yes, we are poor but we are not as poor as the slums in India or Africa.

My Observations about USA Ghettos and culture in the United States

Ghettos can be the inner city black neighborhoods or the midwestern predominantly white trailer parks. Ghettos are poorer neighborhoods.

In the US there will always be this thing about the individual. They are always talking about individual rights etc..American ghettos show this first hand in the way some of the people speak “I gotta get whats mine!” I heard this many times. Rarely did I ever hear the word “we” as part of speech. The US is about the “me” or “I”. There is little or no community bonding in the ghettos.

The problem starts when the country tries to brainwash people into believing they have a right at the “American Dream”. Whats the American Dream? A house, car, good job, nice neighborhood, picket fence with back yard, 2 kids? What? This is what the country feeds to the people. You gotta buy a house with a 30-40 year mortgage?? What??? 30-40 years with a ball & chain?? How do you know if you will live that long?? The US is a big corporation consumerist place. If you do NOT have the lastest technology, there is something wrong with you. This is the problem. The system of economics makes the people feel inadequate if they do not buy. And people buy into this. This dream is only afforded to the very few. Now in the US it is so expensive to live that both mother and father are working so much to provide these “things” that they call quality of life. Instead of having a smaller house and living within their paychecks, they need to buy some huge house, fancy car and put themselves in debt for the next 10 years. why? For what? Who are they trying to impress? For all that working they do, who suffers? The children suffer becase their parents never have the time to give them the attention they need to develop as compassionate human beings. Instead the children become drone like becase their “parents” are now the video game, tv, computer or nanny. There is a lack of personal connection between parents and child which results in the cycle of the child becoming the same as the parents. Why have children if you do not have the time to give to them?

My interpretation of the American Dream is people who are slaves to their jobs. I could never live this way. Working 8-10 hours a day 5-6 days a week with 2-3 weeks vacation a year? What? Where is the quality of life? But people do this just to have that Landrover or 30 inch flat screen tv????

I do not understand this? There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things but at what cost to time and happiness? What happens with this is sacrifice of the family.

For people in ghettos the same brainwashing exists. Everybody wants nicer “things”. The key word here is “THINGS”. How about strong family values or a good education? What happened to those? Everything is about material things. So with that comes a culture of feeling like they need to have the nicest clothes, jewelry, cars etc.In many ghettos, there are cycles of families living off the government on public assistance/welfare in public housing projects. This welfare and public housing is provided to the poor by the government. This sets up people to be complacent and lazy. When the government gives you housing and 500 or more a month, why work? People get comfortable with this and eventually get trapped in it. All your needs are taken care of so why go out and find work?

In these housing projects, there is electricity, water and proper sewage.so, people do not have to worry about their toilet not flushing. Most of the inner city housing projects in places like New York and Chicago tend to be high rise buildings where the basic needs are met. In a high rise every person has their own separate compartment. It may not be pretty but its adequate. There is very little embracing of community with the way buildings separate people. And sad to say, that most housing projects get destroyed by the residents who need this housing. This I do not understand. Why would a person destroy a place they need?

With poverty, drugs, like most impoverished areas, are the way some feel they can “get ahead”. I think the government of the US dumped drugs into the black neighborhoods to destroy their communities. Back in the 1960’s and 70’s the black power movement was strong and developing many powerful leaders and role models for their communities. After the drugs came in, the community died. Money and power became more important than family and community values. Now in these neighborhoods, blacks are killing blacks. There is not so much the race war. Its about power, drugs, women, fancy clothes, expensive cars and who can get the most. This is the capitalist way but at what cost to these communities? With drugs, brings addicts, crime, prostitution and other social problems. Instead of growing up to be the next astronaut or fireman, kids want to be the king drug dealer. They learn what they see, kids are not stupid. And some of the rap music reinforces this negative cycle.

There are gangs which control drugs but they are in certain small areas of neighborhoods. If the guy on the next corner is selling more drugs, the other guy further down the road eventually wants to take the guys corner becase its about money. He doesn’t care if the guy is black or where he’s from. He just wants more money and will kill that guy to take his corner. This is how the gangs expand. And they instill fear in those neighborhoods by killing anyone who gets in their way. Some of the gangs are organized and connected to mafia like groups and some are more small time dealers. Everybody buys their stuff from somewhere and the connections run deep.

I always found it strange how in some of the US cities, whites would live in one area and other races would be in separate areas. In the southern states there is so much more racism against African Americans. They still have extreme groups who try to spread propaganda against immigrants and races who are not white as well. And violence against minorities still exists today. The only American city that I found had good integration, was San Francisco. That city still had areas like Hunter’s Point and Bayview which tended to be African American neighborhoods, but there were many areas where all races lived together with little or no problems.

People in ghettos are part of the problem with the drugs and violence. In order to have a drug dealing problem in your neighborhood, you first have to accept drugs in your neighborhood. Too many people turned their backs to this all becase of money and now look who’s in control. The parents are responsible to raise kids to stay out of that trouble. Parents are responsible to educate their sons and daughters about not getting pregnant at 15. Babies having babies and letting their kids run wild. But when they get shot, its all denial about how their kids was caught up in some bad shit. It all starts with parenting. If you raise your son/daughter to value school and education and follow through with discipline, why would he want to become a drug dealer. Every drug dealer has a mother or father. Kids learn from examples. The ghettos have lost their neighborhoods to thugs. And the people in those neighborhoods are responsible and to blame.

Americans have access to everything, if they have the money. The living standard is good. Food is plentiful. Water, eletricty and sewage work 99% of the time. Technology is some of the best in the world. Yet, when I was living there, people would complain about everything. It was as if the stress of trying to live up to a society expectation was a burden on some people. I saw many scenes of parents aggressively yelling or even hitting children in public. I started to see a country and people who were angry and on edge about their lives. It was as if it was impossible to keep up to expectations.

In the US they have everything, yet they are still not happy. I started to question, what is happiness in the US?

The FAVELAS (Rocinha)

Our origins in the favelas come from ex-slaves. We favelados started with nothing. We never had expectations. Our lives were about survival. But our communities are far different from the US ghettos. Our communities started with people migrating to different parts of Brazil to find work. We worked together to build our communities with very little resources.

The only thing we have in common with ghettos is that they are poor areas, but the way we in favelas function, it’s a world apart. Our favelas are very different from ghettos. I am glad I grew up here and not in a American ghetto.

The favelas are also called slums or shantytowns becase of the way the people constructed their houses. In the beginning we had no running water or electricity, no infrastructure. We would find land and we would build becase we had no choice. We built houses on the hills becase this was the land available to us. We used whatever materials we had or could get. Jobs paid very little and not enough for to afford rent in the “formal” city. So the government for the longest time turned their back while the poor would build their shacks on the hill. In the beginning there was not much confrontation becase the favelados represented a large work force for the middle and upper classes. Who else is going to clean your house or sweep the streets? As favelas grew the state started having concerns. When you live in conditions where there is no sanitation, eletricty, water or anything else, problems start. We had problems with garbage removal and becase of this rats and diseases spread. The government ignored our problems but always complained about us. In my favela Rocinha people started to organize and in 1961 we developed our own form of government to represent us to the outside world. We called it a residents association becase our leaders represent the people who live in our favela. They help educate us about our rights and protect our interests in the place we live. It is not perfect but they do more than the Rio government has ever done.

We are seen as marginalized becase we live in areas where the government does not or rarely provides services. Marginalization also has to do with the media and how we as people are portrayed to the non favela world. Most favelados do not have much education but then again we do not have opportunity to receive quality education becase the tax money is not there. But how can a person pay taxes when they are living on less than $700R (aprox.$400US) a month? The rich can send their kids to private schools which ensure them opportunity to get into university. This is foreign to the favelado. Our public schools fail to give us that opportunity no matter how smart you are.

In the favela, everybody works. We have no public housing/housing projects, welfare, food stamps or social programs. You don’t work, you don’t live. We care about our community regardless of the problems. In the favela it is a community effort for survival and nobody is better than anybody else. We are all equal, we are all favelados. Are favela is far from perfect but for us, it works.

When people construct their homes, there are always people willing to help. My neighbors helped my father build his house. There are groups of men in the community who know how to build houses so there is not shortage of help. The only thing that separates our houses in the favela from those on the outside, is money. This is the way it is. I remember a story my father told me when I was 8 years old. He was leaving the house and I asked him where he was going. He told me that he had to help a guy fix his roof. I asked him why? And he replied, becase someday son, you may need help with your roof. So, it shows that the people try to build a bond in their community. When the outside world ostrasizes the favela, the people in the favela bond together for support.

The difficult thing about favela life is that everybody lives so close together. There is very little privacy. If you are not careful, people can get in your business. My father always taught me to be nice to people but we don’t need tell everything about us to everyone. The house I live in has good privacy becase the walls are thick made of cement and bricks. I do not hear much noise from my neighbors. But when we lived in the shack, we heard everything.

Many people who do not live in favelas in Brazil think the favela is one big shit hole full of vagrants, thieves, and drug gangs. I think every place has bad people. We have people like this but the favela is much more than a few bad people. Most of the people who live here are honest hardworking types who only want their opportunity. The word “favelado” to me has only one meaning, a person from the favela. Just becase one is poor does not make them a criminal. This attitude of stereotyping favelados as marginal is similar to American ghettos residents being thought in the same way. Not every African American kid growing up in the ghetto is a drug dealer.

When I was a teenager growing up in the favela, life was very different. The favela did not have as much organization and we had more people who did bad things here. There was more petty crimes and abuse. Around 1983 came the drugs into the community and with that came the organized gang. There was a good and bad side to this but the community changed drastically after this point. In Rocinha, our first drug lord “Dennis” changed the way of negative social behaviors in the favela. The “traficantes” (drug dealers), not only sold drugs but acted as a internal police for the community. They protected the community from outside police and rival gang invasions and established social codes inside the favela. Dennis and his gang laid down the laws. There would be NO stealing, robbing, raping or killing. If you did any of these things, you would be punished severely. There were several reasons for this. First the gang was in control and wanted to establish stability in the community. The second was to show that the favela was a safe place for outsiders to come to buy their drugs. They only sell marijuana and cocaine. They have no interest in meth, crack, heroin, crank or any of that designer drug stuff. So if your looking for ecstacy (E) or mushrooms, you find that in the nightclubs outside the favelas.

Today in Rocinha, its one gang that sells here, only one and they work like a business. They work like a mafia type enterprise. They are a very organized cohesive group. If there is a problem within the gang, it is dealt with internally. The gang wants no problem with residents here. In exchange for selling inside the community the gang does provide some need help to people and will sponsor community events. They are certainly far from angels, but if you are not a threat to their business, they do not care who you are.

Today, the same social codes exist and unlike a US ghetto, I can safely walk through my favela anytime, day or night without fear of having crime done against me. In a ghetto in the US, I could be killed just for being the wrong color. There are no controlled social codes in the American ghetto. Its only the strong survive, again, all about the individual, certainly not about community.

Becase of our simple and different way of life, Brazilian society has referred to us marginals. Our community is not seen as the same as outside neighborhoods. Also, becase of the drug traffic and other bad things that go along with it, the “formal” city fears us. To admit to living in a favela is a stigma. I am at the age where I do not care and I will not lie about where I am from. I am proud of the people and my community here in ROCINHA.

Where else can I feel totally free and walk the streets safely at 3 in the morning with total freedom? Where can I walk in my community where I get greeted 10-15 times a day by my neighborhood people? All I need to do is walk out my door and find a party, no need to “crash” the party as there is no such thing. Today I decided I wanted peace so I stayed inside and relaxed. In Rocinha, you will never be lonely.

People socialize all the time here and there is always people out in the streets. When I show people my community they are amazed at how people are so friendly. I always tell them that just as you are curious about the favela, they are also curious about you. The media spreads so much lies about favelas that the outside world only knows this. When you have no more information about a place, you don’t have much choice on what you can think. We, who live in the favela knows that all the media talks of is negative things. So, we who live there often wonder if we live in such a bad place, why would people want to come. But we also know that people out there educate themselves and want to see for themselves. It is common to hear upper class Brazilians say to foreigners, “why would you want to go THERE?” Our lives are simple here, but we know how to enjoy life too.

Our street parties include everyone, nobody is excluded. We can have a party for any reason, samba, funk, football, birthday or just people who want to get together. If you decide to want to come for a visit, I am always available to show people a good time here that you will never forget. I do not know if the American ghettos have street parties anymore. In our club called “Emocoes”, we can have 3,000 people in there dancing and not one fight breaks out. Can that be said in any US ghetto club?

As I see it after all I have written, I hope you can see too that American ghettos are nothing like Brazilian favelas. We are both economically challenged but the people and the way they interact have nothing in common.

FAVELA ADVENTURES
http://www.favelatour.org
http://lifeinrocinha.blogspot.com
Facebook: "DeeJay Zezinho"
Orkut: "Favelado do Sucesso"
tel: 21-8221-5572

Shon Starr Tours

2010-05-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to meet with Shon Starr, when he came to Brazil. He has been to Brazil before and he contacted me to see the favela of Rocinha, where I live. It was the normal initial contact of a person who wanted to see the community. I met him and his girlfriend Arielle at the Copcabana Palace at 9 am and we took the favela transportation to the top of the hill.

We eventually descended to see many things being a samba show, my friends awesome 360 degrees view of the favela, and to my roof where after a few hours we were able to sit have a drink, and talk with each other about our lives and goals with our work.

I found out that Shon was a Dj and had similar tastes in music and other things. When he told me about his tour company and website, I thought this was great because Brazil. Tourism is booming and will only get better with the coming of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games . I wanted to know more about his entrepreneurship so this is why I wanted to write this story about him. I find his company to be cutting edge and thing people need to know about him.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I also spent about 5 years living in Nevada and California.
Tell me a little about your background (interests like art, sports, schooling etc)? I'm kind of a modern day renaissance man into everything from music to construction. I can make beats and rehab an entire house. I'm really into motorcycle riding though and own a couple of bikes, but my #1 passion is traveling, having visited over 13 countries and 100 cities.

Why did you decide to take my favela tour (and not another favela tour company) considering you had been here before?

Yes I had been to Rocinha before with some friends, but it was a quick visit and there was so much more that I wanted to see and learn about Rocinha. I had heard your name mentioned a few times for Favela tours and while doing some unrelated research on favelas in Rio I came across a video of you on Youtube talking about how your tours give you a much greater well rounded experience than what the other tour companies operating in Rocinha offer. So that really interested me especially since that's how I have always ran my nightclubs, done my promotions, and even deejayed my parties. I have always wanted to make what I do an experience and give people more and something different. This is also one of the main missions of Shon Starr Tours.

Were there things you saw in the favela that you could relate too?

Definitely! Even though there are many differences on the surface of how people live. When you get down to the basics we are all pretty much the same. Whether you're a trafficker, police, teacher, or even a tour guide most of us just want to live a nice life and have all of our basic needs met such as food, clothing, shelter, love, companionship, acknowledgement, etc. I saw this all over the favela and see it all over the world.

Your experience in the favela, how was it the same or different from poor neighborhoods in the United States?

One of the biggest differences was that it seemed like the residents of Rocinha have a lot more influence and control in their community than poor neighborhoods here in the US. It seemed to have very little outside influence. Poor neighborhoods here in the US are not as self sufficient as they are in Rocinha. There was one point in time when neighborhoods in the US were like this with many residents taking ownership and control of their community, but after segregation ended that drastically changed. Also in most poor neighborhoods here in the US you have a normal to heavy police presence. It still amazes me that with almost 300,000 people living on top of each other there is still law and order with absolutely no Police presence.

Tell me a little about the work (jobs) you have done in the past?

Every since I was a kid I had dreams of being in the nightclub business and owning my own club one day. I started out promoting and dj'ing my own teen parties at 14 years old and was spinning my first real nightclub gig even before I could drink at 16. I put a lot of time on the Philadelphia nightlife scene as a DJ/Promoter, eventually getting into management . After a few years I decided to take my act on the road and see what else the world had to offer and I ended up on the west coast in Nevada as a very successful General Manager running some well-known nightclubs for Caesars Palace Casino and celebrity Dennis Hof of HBO Bunny Ranch/Cat House fame. After a great run out west I came back home and took over running nightlife promotions for the Camel Tobacco Brand.

While taking a vacation in the Spring of 2009 in Costa Rica something magical happened during a hike in the Costa Rican jungle. I jumped off a 5-story bridge into a raging river and during that crazy jump I had a revelation that my purpose in life was now going to change. I knew right then and there that it would be my job to show people this adventure and thrill that I had just experienced and how beautiful the world really is. So I got back home and did a whole bunch of research, took some classes on tourism and travel, and then decided to launch Shon Starr Tours. But the world is big and I needed to focus on one place that I could learn like the back of my hand and become an expert on. So after visiting Rio de Janeiro in the Summer of 2009 I knew this was the place. I felt at home in Brazil and knew immediately that this was the place. After Rio won the 2016 Olympic bid that was the icing on the cake that sealed the deal for me. So I resigned from my comfy job with Camel Tobacco in February of 2010 and came to Rio to launch Shon Starr Tours and here I am.

Do you feel your past experiences in your other jobs will help with your new venture?

Absolutely! One of my nicknames in the nightlife world was the "Prince of Promotions" and I plan on bringing that same energy and success to my tour company. It's going to be a fun adventure not only for my clients, but also for myself. I don't care about being the biggest, but I will put my butt on the line and guarantee that I will be one of the best if not the best.

What first attracted you to come to Brazil?

I always like to say the beauty and the booty is what attracted me here. Brazil has the complete package. Hands down it has some of the most beautiful natural scenery, culture, music, people and also women on the planet.

What separates you from others in the tour industry?

I like to think of myself as the "special agent" of travel. I'm the guy you call when you want something adventurous, fun, and lot different than your usual plain jane trips. My focus is not only on being a great tour company, but being a great entertainment company as well. Meaning that along with the best tours you are also guaranteed a great memorable experience. I'm probably the one guy who could actually make a trip on a deserted island off the coast of Alaska fun and unforgettable. I mostly cater to private groups and VIP individuals and I don't just sit by the phone waiting for someone to say hey I would like to book a trip to Rio, can you help me? I create the party here too promoting at least one fun themed trip a month from the U.S. to Rio de Janeiro. On these themed trips I take between 10-12 special guests here to Rio for a week long party filled with plenty of culture, sight seeing, adventure, and partying. It's a real great opportunity to experience Rio in a group environment especially for those who would ordinarily travel alone.

What groups are you trying to attract with your tours?

I specialize in mid to high end Mancations, Girlcations, and Couplecations. I also will be promoting special Cougarcations for those energetic older women who still have it going on and are looking for some adventure.

What do you see in the future for your company Shon Starr Tours?

I'm very excited about this venture. I have a great team behind me and we plan on bringing some real exciting things to the tourism and travel industry. I'm a hustler, workaholic and perfectionist too so the future looks very bright. I actually see myself eventually being one of the most famous individual tour and travel promoters in the world and being a very instrumental player in promoting travel to Brazil.

Do you have plans to eventually move to Brazil?

Of course! Working on that now. Brazil is an amazing country and I love it. I'm a Rolling Stone though so I will never have one place that I call home, but Brazil will definitely be one of my homes.

Is there anything more you would like to say?

I was just like to say thanks to all the beautiful people of Brazil for all of their help, support and for creating such a great, fun, and exciting country. Yes Brazil has it's problems and has a way to go, like a lot of countries including the U.S. with things like poverty and a more equal distribution of wealth, but there is so much potential for great this country and I look forward to showing it off to the world.

Please tell us where we can see your website and any other websites/blogs you have?

I have my wild and crazy travel blog/website :
The Adventures of Shon Starr at http://www.shonstarr.com and my team and I also have the Brazil Geeks website at http://www.brazilgeeks.com giving you all the latest and greatest info and photos on Brazil.

Brazilian Police and their Cruel Tactics

2010-05-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Fundraising Party Cancelled!

I think everybody in the world knows about the immense flooding that took place here in Rio de Janeiro in the beginning of April. A total of about 250 lives were lost and 95% of those lives were favela residents.

The most lives were lost in Niteroi in places like Morro do Bumba, where the community was build on a garbage dump. But the Favela of Prazeres in the area of Santa Teresa in Rio de Janeiro, also lost about 30 people.

There has been a lot of donations and organizations formed to aid those people who have been displaced from their homes. My friend DJ Tee Cardaci lives very close to the Favela Prazeres and has many contacts there. Tee has had the opportunity to visit me several times here in Rocinha and he is a great guy.

He somehow through his connections, was able to hook up with dj’s who had planned a fundraiser for Prazeres. The plan was the party to be on Thursday night 29 April. There would be dj’s Tee, Marlboro and Sany Pitbull. And entertainer B’Negao. The thought of this party was to raise money to help those families living in the community that lost their homes or needed help.
All the money was to go to people in need. The Dj's are the best in Brazil.

I was in Santa Marta on Thursday and some of the guys there were going to go to the party. I would have loved to go, but there is a problem. Rocinha and Prazeres are controlled by two different drug factions. Rocinha is controlled by the ADA (Amigos dos Amigos) and Prazeres the CV (Comando Vermelho). I would be risking my life by going there. Even though I am not involved in any way with the drug factions, the guys who control Prazeres might think that I am somehow a threat. Sad, but true. It would be nice if the gangs could leave residents out of their personal wars.

I still think that the party is a great idea to bring exposure to the suffering of those in the favelas. And to help people who otherwise would receive nothing.

So, after returning from Santa Marta, I went to the internet to my Facebook page and read “PRAZERES COM MUITO ORGULHO” which means Prazeres with much pride. So, I thinking, great this party is on and many people will benefit from this. I may be from another “rival” favela, but I have in my nature wanting to see people helped who need it no matter where they are from. About 40 minutes later I read, “Party is cancelled due to problems beyond our control”. So, I am thinking wtf???

Today I get back on the internet after my tour and read that BOPE (Rio’s type of SWAT team) went into the favela to shut down the party. They kidnapped the head drug lord there and demanded a ransom. The police knew that it was the drug lords party and that there would be a lot of money around, which is why they did this. So much for cops just “catching the bad guy”. The story goes is that Eduardo Paes the governor of Rio does not want to see this favela helped and would like too see it removed. So it is as if the governor does not want to see these people helped. Especially by outsiders which the majority who would have gone to this party would have been. Shame on the government for doing this. Yet the government does not want to help people who need it the most right now, why not allow outsiders to help?

If I get more information, I will report it.

Some interesting things about me

2010-05-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

Get to know ME

Ok this is something that I think will provide interesting responses and you will get to know a bit about me..
Enjoy!

1. If you could build your house anywhere, where would it be?
ROCINHA of corse near the top of the hill with a view and I need to have a roof so I can make some parties.

2. What's your favorite article of clothing?
t-shirts and hoodies.

3. What's your favorite physical feature of the opposite sex?
Smile and eyes

4. What's the last CD that you bought?
Furacao 2000 Brazilian funk

5. Where's your favorite place to be?
On my roof in Rocinha, sitting looking at the view to the beach,
Thinking about how lucky I am to live in such a nice place.

6. Where's your least favorite place to be?
The bathroom

7. What's your favorite place to be massaged?
My back

8. What's most important, strong in mind or strong in body?
Strong in mind

10. What's your favorite TV show?
CSI, Dexter, Weeds, Detective shows

11. What's your favorite kitchen appliance?
Blender, I like to make shakes and juices

12. What's your favorite childhood memory?
Fishing with my dad at the beach

13. What makes you laugh?
Silly cats, animals and kids that do silly things

14. What makes you really angry?
Betrayal and people who lie and steal

15. If you could play any instrument what would it be?
Guitar or piano

16. Scariest moment of your life?
As a 10 year old seeing my older brother shot

17. Do you believe in afterlife?
Not sure of this

18. What is your Favorite season?
All of them

19. What is your least Favorite household chore?
Cleaning the bathroom

20. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
To be able to be invisible

21. If you have a tattoo, what is it?
Favela all over my body in homage to the great people who live here in
Rocinha.

22. Who was your first real love?
Not telling.

23. What song do you wish you had written?
REACH by Gloria Estefan

24. Do you prefer cats or dogs?
Cats rule, dogs drool..Cats of course.

25. What's in the trunk of your car?
A car, whats that? Never had a car, sorry

26. What is your favorite day?
Friday or holidays

27. Using only one word, describe yourself:
passionate

28. What's your favourite word?
Peludo or in English: fuzzy

29. What is your favorite color?
Blue

30. what is your lucky number?
17

31. What do you expect to be doing 10 yrs from now? 20
yrs. from now? In otherwords, what are your goals?
Have a awesome art school here in the favela. Our company will dominate the favela tourism industry here in Rocinha and I will have 10-15 guides all from here earning a decent wage, all the while giving great service to our visitors from all over the world.

32. What characteristics you most admire?
Loyalty, compassion, honesty, courage

33. Type of music?
Many styles I like but prefer old (1990’s) Brazilian funk.

34. Favorite food?
Chinese

35. Beer or Wine?
Neither, I don’t drink

Commonly Asked Questions

2010-05-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Many of you who read my blog and others often write me e-mails asking questions about life here in the favela. I am going to put some questions here and answer then so all of you can read. I will do my best to answer honestly and in as much details I know.

Some of the questions are direct and I need to think a long time about how to answer becase I need to put my mind in the outsiders way of thinking.

Why do people visit the favelas?

I can only talk about my favela as I have only lived in Rocinha. I think people see movies like City of God or Tropa Elite and have curiosity to see if favelas have this kind of troubles. But in reality we all know that if Rocinha was dangerous, why would there be tours here? I need to make clear that there are times when the favela is dangerous especially when the police come in. Not every favela is the same. I think Complexo do Alemao, Complexo do Mare and Morro dos Macacos are far more potential for danger as the police tend to make more actions those places. We had a police operation just last month and before that there was one in august. They are not invading our favela every month.

To get to basics, I think many people come becase we have much art and culture here to see. Some of the best football players are from favelas. Samba, Funk, and Pagode are music that is originated in favelas. We have great Capoeira and other activities here that I think people have interest to see. For me the favela is about the warm friendly people who live here. I think people also want to see how the favela and the people who live there survive without government involvement in the comunity. We have had to do for ourselves. The favela is about comunity. Its about “we”, not “me”.

Many of the people who have come to visit me come to learn about the living conditions, architecture, anthropology and other studies. They have a sincere interest in wanting to know about the comunity so they can in some way help. I enjoy these people becase they have an interest to get to know the favela on a deeper level. They do not want to tour, take fotos and then brag to their friends that they were “in a favela.” We also have some great views of the city being that we are locate high up on the hills.

It is sad if people come on tours to hopefully see the guys with guns and the drug trade. I do not promote this kind of negative tourism. It is a reality of life here that we have this negative thing but I think people need to see beyond this and enjoy the favela for the 98% of the good things that exist here. I hope more people come to see the true spirit of the people here. I live here becase of the people not the poor built housing.

Is living there really dangerous? The news makes out favelas to be like “war zones” and dangerous for anybody to go there?

I think this really depends on the favela that somebody lives in. Rocinha is huge and takes up 64,000 square meters. The density of this place is unbelievable and this place never sleeps. With a population of about 300.000 people we are going to have bad people who live here. Rocinha is the largest favela and is famous and infamous becase of its size and the amount of drug money that comes through this place. (aprox 10 million a month)

I do not think it is dangerous to live here. The traficantes act as police within the favela and keep a watch on negative social behaviours. I have never been robbed or had anyone stole anything from me. I can leave my door open and not worry about people coming in with bad intentions. There is no rape or killing here. If you are caught doing any of these things the traficantes are like the judge and jury and if proven you did these things, there are severe punishments.

I am not praising the traficantes, it is about economics for them. Its about MONEY. If the favela inside is safe, people from the outside will feel safe to come in and buy their product. If the favela inside was dangerous, sales would drop or not exist. The majority of the people who buy drugs are from the outside.

The favela becomes a dangerous place when the police come in to make a operation. Its obvious to all of us who live here that the traficantes pay the police to stay outside of the comunity. When the police make a operation here they know who and what they are looking for. The police think the residents support the traficantes and treat everybody as if they are in the gang. It is hard not to support someone who has brought some infrastructure to the favela. The government failed to bring basic services, and where the government failed, the traficantes stepped in to bring these much need things to the favela. Things like transportation, gas, and helping those most in need, the traficantes acted like a government.
It is difficult thing to talk about becase many innocent people have been killed or suffered here at the hands of the “authorities” talking about the Brazilian government. Think about this for a minute.
Let me ask you this, who would you trust?
The guy who lives in your neighborhood, helps provide in some ways for the comunity, provides protection for the favela, and he doesn’t mess with anybody, but he happen to be a traficante? Or
The guy who is NOT from the favela who treats every resident like a criminal and sometimes abuses them?
Tough decision yes? I tend to give more trust to the guy who is from my favela who leaves me to live my life and doesn’t bother with anyone.

I think most people know that in most countries in South America, the police are currupt and not to be trusted. How can people respect authority when the authorities break all the rules. The police are supposed to be the “good guys”. But in the favela the traficantes show more respect to the residents than the police. So the people we are supposed to respect (police) are actually worse than the people who are the “bad guys” (traficantes). There is something really wrong with this. But it is our reality in the favela.

The most dangerous time in Rocinha was in 2004 when the ADA
(Amigos dos Amigos) drug gang took over control of Rocinha from the CV (Comando Vermelho). We had 5 days of war like conditions here and we had no eletricty and could not leave our houses.

The media destroyed the image of the favela a long time ago. It is sad that when favelas are in the news it is mostly about drugs, trafficking or some other negative thing. I think Americans would agree that bad news sells. As I have seen the news there and it is the same thing, automatically if you are poor, you must be a criminal.

How does the level of poverty there compare to some of the countries that you have been to?

I have not traveled as much as people think. I am not a expert on poverty. I have been in North America. I read a lot and watch documentaries as I enjoy learning about other places. I also have met many people from all over the world and ask them about poverty in their countries. From what I seen and know, poverty varies depending on the development of the country and the type of government. From what I have seen in the USA, there is poverty but it is not like what we have here. There are no favelas in the US. There are ghettos where there are public housing complexes but these places have running water, sewers system and eletricity and on top of it the government helps them with something called welfare and food stamps. If you are poor in the US there are also programs you can apply for and the government will help you. We have nothing like that here. Seeing the programs they have nobody should be starving or homeless in the US. This does not mean that there is not suffering, prejudice, marginalization and other social programs there.

Favelas are poor comunities but our comunties are much better living conditions than the slums in India or those in Africa. I have never been to Africa or India but talking with people who are from there, I think I live in a good place. It is far from perfect and has its challenges, but I have a roof over my head, enough food in my stomach and job that I love. I am VERY thankful for the things I have. I am no expert on poverty.

When the police do come in the neighborhood, what do you do?

This depends on where I am. If I am inside the community, I go to my house or a friends house if I am far from my house. If I am outside the community, I wait until they leave then, I return to the favela. In march we had an invasion on the 11th and I was in my house at the time. I could see everything from my window. Three bulletproof helicopters were circling in Cachopa and Dioneia, a area I used to live. I could hear shooting and grenades. The police usually invade early in the morning when there is few people in the streets. But this invasion was at 1 in the afternoon when the streets were full of people and kids were going to school. Not very smart of the police and surprising that no innocents were killed. In the end, the police failed to catch the top guy and they killed 7 traficantes in their 90 minutes war. After 3pm it was like the favela went back to normal life. People did not sit around thinking of what happened. They went back to living life and working. The same with me, after 3:30, I went out and did whatever I did that day. Life goes on.

If you wanted, could you move out of the favela?

Economically I do not have enough money to leave. If I did have enough money, I do not think I would want to leave. Rocinha is my home. I am loved, cared for, wanted and needed here. Why would I want to leave. Despite the challenges of living here, I feel that if I left, I would be abandoning the comunity that has give so much to me. I think people here in Rocinha like it that I came back and this time have decided to stop traveling and stay here. Everytime, I lived outside of Rocinha, I had a poster on my wall of Rocinha and I would every morning and night look at the poster and think about all my friends and family there. I do not have a purpose to leave here.

What kinds of things do you do there where you live?

I will answer first about what I do. When I am not working, I clean the house, wash clothes and make sure I have enough water. When it rains, I collect buckets of water and put them in sealed containers. This water is used only if I do not have water or the “bomba” (well) is empty. I have gone without water before and it is not good to not have a shower or use the bathroom.

I am learning how to use some new music software called Traktor, which is a dj program. I like to read the newspaper, especially like reading about what is going on in the world. Of corse I try to get on the internet once a day to check in with friends on facebook and check e-mails. If I have nothing to do I sleep or walk around the favela and visit with friends. I have many friends who are connected to activities I do and used to do in the past. Judo and Jiu-Jitsu are two things I practiced when I was younger. I started judo in 1984 and stopped in 1993. I changed to jiu jitsu in 1996 as I wanted a change in my activities. I have ALWAYS been associaited with art in some way. Grafitti is looked down on by many people becase of some peoples use of public property. Respect to all the graf people out there. I had no interest to bomb and possibly get caught and go to prison. If somebody wanted a piece, I put it on paper or on a t-shirt. If somebody paid me to paint a wall, I would.

I work with a art school here in the favela which keeps me busy. I like teaching kids and I see some great talent in this place. Tio Lino who is the director of the art school has been volunteering his time teaching the kids here for over 20 years. He is a retired life guard who was born and raised in Rocinha. He is good people and one of the people here who I trust the most.

As for other people, there is much to do. Sports like football, judo, jiu jitsu, boxing, running, swimming, karate, tae kwondo, and we even have a group who plays tennis. But we do not have tennis courts, the kids need to train outside Rocinha for this.

There is a group of women who teach others in the community how to make clothes. They live in one of the poorest areas of the favela but they are being sought by designers in foreign countries becase their work is so good.

There is all types of music here that people can enjoy. From Thursday to Sunday we have all types of parties in the favela. Walking through the streets here, you can hear anything from samba to American rock & roll. I like to take tourists to funk parties here in Rocinha.

My personal goal is to someday open a DJ school here and teach the kids how to play all kinds of music. One, they get to enjoy music but also learn a skill where they can eventually earn money.

Don’t you think favela tours present the community in a bad way, like a zoo tour or some kind of poverty porn?

This really depends on the tour guide and the company. I have written about this before. I will say this 100%, the favela does not like the Jeep tours as there is little or no interaction with the community. We are not animals in a zoo. Sitting in a jeep driving through a community is not the way to learn about the place.

We have about 7 major tour companies that come through here. Some companies are better than others. Some give a portion of what they earn through the tours to non NGO’s and others give nothing. People who have interest of knowing can find out without my putting it in print here.

The main things I have a problem with the tour companies is not one of them lives in the favela and VERY FEW if any have tour guides who are from here. There is Exotic Tours run by Rejean Reis. She has two guides who I know very well. Luiza and Nildo. I have worked with Nildo before. The sad thing is she charges $85 reais for a 2.5 hour tour of the favela. She pays her guides very poorly. I saw Nildo with a group of 7 people last week. That’s 7x85R=595Reais. This is what Exotic Tours makes. And they make 2 tours a day. I asked Nildo what he got paid, he told me $20reais. I think this is exploitation. The outsider taking advantage of the favela. Even if she could pay him 20% of $595R, that would be about $120R. that’s a more respectable amount than $20reais? But she knows that the average worker in the favela earns between 25-40 reais a day. So she think that he is only working 2.5 hours making the tour and this is good enough. I have no respect for this kind of person who takes advantage of our comunity. And what I write about Exotic Tours is direct information from a employee.

This is one of the main reasons I started my small company. The main things are to keep the money in the favela and to keep our economy going. And giving people jobs and paying them a decent wage. I pay my guides better than any company. I have done the research and know what the companies pay people. All I know is my guides are treated with respect and are happy when they work with me.

I do know of one company that likes to glorify the drugs and violence things. They sell more to the younger back packer crowd. I have no respect for this company as some of their guides I heard them exagerrate things to be so dangerous without thinking that if it was so dangerous, you would not be giving tours here. They also extort money from a local art studio by not allowing other tour groups to this studio. If a piece of art sells, they get a comission. Are they not getting enough money from their tours? This is double “fucking” the people in the favela. The tour company restricts the studio from having other tourists come to the studio therefore this is potential money lost. To see a video about this and one of the artists complaining about how this tour company treats them, go here: www.current.tv
And type in “favela tours”. The video you need to watch is listed under the title “Slumming It”. Watch it and see for yourself. Please watch the whole video as the artists speaking about this is close to end of the video.

There is another tour company that I will never understand why they make tours here. The owner is a guy about 35 who comes from a very rich background. In Brazil he could be doing anything as he has the family money and connections. After all, his real last name is Neimeyer (although he does not openly use this name. I wonder why?), yes the famous architecht (Oscar Neimeyer) who has designed many of Brazil’s famous buildings. He is related. Now the question I ask is, why is a guy from a rich background making money showing the favelas?

We have a few independent people WHO LIVE HERE who make tours. I support them more than anybody. Who better to learn about a place from, then somebody who LIVES THERE. People who live here have a interest in wanting to show the reality of life here without talking about the negatives all the time. How about the history or how the people chose this place to settle? I will always first and foremost support the residents here who are making tours. These are the people who should be earning this money. For many of the outsiders it is about greed and making money off the favela.

Unfortunately poverty of different levels exists everywhere. Nobody wants to be poor or suffer. Poverty is not a choice, its due to many things. Where you are born, the economics of your parents, education, who you know to get what you want? Nobody chooses this life, its just the circumstance some of us are born into.

I prefer to show people the good that exists in favelas, the reality of the average person who lives here.

I thought the words “favela” and “favelado” were negative connotations to the places and people who live there. What are your thoughts on this?

This depends on who is using these words. I think older people becase they have suffered more, prefer the word “comunidade” or community to the word favela. Many times you will hear people use the word “morro” or “hill”. In Rio most of the favelas are in the morros or hills. I prefer the word “favela” over the words “slum” or “shantytown”. I think “favela” sounds nicer. As the real meaning of the word “favela” is that is a plant that grew on the hills where the first people settled in Rio de Janeiro.

As for the word “favelado” Its suppose to mean “slum dweller” or a person who lives in the “favela”. Some people have added meaning to this word to add that yes it is a person who lives in a favela, but the person is also dirty, uneducated, a thief and any other bad characteristic a person could be. For me, the word “favelado” there is only ONE meaning and that is a resident of a favela. I am a favelado and have no shame of this.

You mentioned that you spent some time in the US. What are the things you miss most about living in the United States?

This will sound bad, but I miss the food. Especially the junk food like KFC, Arby’s, Wendy’s. I also miss good Chinese food. Since I have been back I have not eaten Chinese but desire to. I miss some friends. In the US most of the time, things work there. Money talks and competition tends to help improve customer service. I think the customer service tends to be better in the US becase the people work for tips becase their regular wage is small.

Lonely Planet travel forum and favela prejudices

2010-04-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

My guests to Rocinha, Carl Oley, Conor Sullivan, and Jade

In febuary I had the chance to host a woman from Malaysia. I have never met anybody from Malaysia so I thought this would be a good oportunity for me to get to know somebody from a different place. She contacted me through my website in September of 2009 about setting up coming to stay with me here in Rocinha. She wanted a home stay not a hostel or hotel. I always will welcome people who want to stay here and learn more about we who live here.

She came during carnival and her purpose was to enjoy Rio and see how I live in the favela. With her work schedule she did not have much time to stay here. She has traveled a lot in her life and told me that she always prefers to stay in the non turist areas. Rio during carnival can be very expensive for people on a budget. Her plans after Rio was to go trekking in Argentina for two weeks and then move on to other places.

The reason I write about is becase of the negativity on the Lonely Planet forum about her choice to stay in a favela with me. It seems that some people there have problems with her wanting to stay in a favela? I have no idea about these people and why all the negativity. Travel forums are suppose to be about an exchange of imformation and cultural enhancement. It seems some on the Lonely Planet forum look at her as staying in the favela as being a bad thing.

Now I understand that the “favela tourism” thing has people thinking many things but how about asking somebody who lives here about the issue? It seems the people who have big problems with it do NOT even live in favelas. I have written before about “favela tourism” and most people know how I feel about this. In short, to me, as long as the favela benefits in some way, and is not exploited, then I welcome tourism here.

My opinion about my guest coming here, I see it as her wanting to expand her travel experiences. We walked all through the comunity, ate out at different places in the favela she met many of my friends. She also went out on her own to see the comunity. This woman has traveled a lot and seemed to enjoy the friendly people here.

I usually do not post on travel forums as I do not have much time but I think I needed to make clear some things. She was not staying here as part of some tour. She wanted reasonably priced accommodations and wanted to experience favela culture. She had told me that the reason she has the ability to travel is becase she finds cheap accommodations and then is able to save money for her flights to all the places she wants to go. She is a experienced traveler.

While she was here, we sometimes did things together and sometimes she wanted to do things on her own. I wanted to support what ever she want to do. When she first came, I showed her where to catch buses to get around, how to get to the beach, where the cheapest and best places to eat in the favela. Becase she came during carnival and only for 4 days we did not have much time to do some of the things we wanted. A lot of the cultural programs in the favela was closed due to the blocos in the streets and varios parties in the comunity. I wanted to take her to a capoeira or samba performance but for 6 days here in Rocinha, no cultural programs were open, only street parties. We only left the favela once together to eat at a por kilo place, which I never did this before in my life. It was a great opportunity for me to experience life outside the favela. I would not do something like that alone. I need say, I do not leave the favela much becase I work here and I do not need to leave here.

Now becase I posted on the forum, there is this guy bubba who thinks that I wrote the original post as a way to promote my business. I am not stupid. I know very well the rules of these forums and if you try promote, they will remove your ability to make post in the forum. I am sure they can see that my post is from Rio de Janeiro and my visitor is across the world in Malaysia. A simple IP address check could show this.

It seems in places like the internet like Lonely Planet, everywhere you go there are people out to be negative about things. Why some these people are negative about favelas? Better to ignore and exclude hoping a problem will go away is NOT the answer. What becase we have curruption and drugs here? What becase poor people live here? I think everwhere in South America has this problem. The government of Brasil is the most currupt. Do I agree with curruption? Of corse not, but I just live here. These are social problems left to politicians and sociologists and others with education that I do not have. I am just a simple favelado trying making my way in this world. Hopefully in my work, people can see the work I am trying to do.

I think those who know me, understand how much I am trying contribute in my comunity. I live here in the favela. Everybody knows me. They like the work I do with the tours becase I show the good that exists here. Do you know that just as you are curios about the favela, people in the favelas are curios about you! I do not talk about drugs becase people already know about this. I work with art project here to try to keep the kids here out of trouble. I can not save everyone but if one kid can use his art to make money or even help raise the self esteem to do better in school, then this is good. I feel it is necessary to give back to the comunity of Rocinha that has given me so much. Everybody knows about the negative things in favelas, but how about the positive?

I am the one who lives here, not these people who write on these forums. Why they have a problem with this? I have no shame of where I live. It is what it is? I would not want to live anywhere else. Here in the favela we do not have these type of people who criticize everything people do. People are too busy trying to live there lives. It seems the people who have the most complain the most. In the United States is a perfect example. There they have everything as far as things to buy. The eletricty and water and services always work, they have everything, and they still complain!!! Yet here in the favela rarely do I hear people complain. We do the best with what we have. And the ones who seem to making the most problems on the forums are the Americans. And then they wonder why nobody likes Americans. Hey, American why do you hate me and my favela? What did I ever do to you?

So back to those negative people, if you have problems with people coming to favelas, This is YOUR PROBLEM, get some help becase people will continue to come here wether you like it or not. It is not my concern why people come here. Better though if they do offer to help in some way or want to understand how we live. But all you negative posters on Lonely Planet. they say in the US, GET A LIFE! And get off the internet and get out and travel.

For those who have interest to read this ridiculous stuff, here is the link to the forum posts on Lonely Planet. Feel free to reply but please make clear of who you are so they do not think I am posting under a other name.

Link: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1901700

The Flooding: Problems In The Favela

2010-04-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

As most people in the world know, about two weeks ago Rio de Janeiro had some of the worst flooding since the 1940’s. I read recently that about 245 people have died and about 160 are still missing. They are still searching for people. The majority if not all of those who died were from favela comunities. Very sad that we who live in these areas have this kind of thing happen. People live in favelas becase they do not have any other option. When you are poor or make little money, where can you live?

In Rocinha, we have a area called Laboriaux, named after the French family who first settled there in the 1920’s. Laboriaux is located up at the highest point of the favela. There are great views there where you can see almost all of Rio. During the flooding, this area suffered some damage. Six houses were lost to damage and two people (a elderly person and a child) ended up dying becase a house collapsed. Very sad.

Approximately 4.000 people live in Laboriaux and they have their own community government or residents association. The government of Rio wants to remove all the people who live in Laboriaux. People are really upset about this and there are meetings going on daily about what will happen to the people who live there. I think that removing the people is not right unless it can be proven 100% that their house is at risk to fall down the hill.

I have many friends who live in Laboriaux, Armando, Binho, Belo, Rick. I could go on. I know both Rick and Armando have been told that they have to move. And my friend Mike Batista also known as “Mike do Skate”. What will happen to him? He is one of my best friends. He is about 40 and sells beer in the favela at the baile funk parties. Interesting about him is he has no use of his legs and gets around Rocinha by skateboard. I saw him the other day and asked him about his house. He told me no problems. I hope so. I do not see where in Rocinha they could put the 4.000 from Laboriaux and I know many of those people have lived here 30-40 years.

So, I live in ponto 7 or 7 as it is called. It is about half way up the hill in Rocinha. I like my place but after the flooding and rains, I see my house has some problems. The wall in my bedroom and half of the living room has water damage from the rain. There is water in the wall. I do not know how it got there or where it is coming from. I spoke to one of my neighbors and she knew about it. I guess the people who lived here before told the neighbors. For me to find where the water is coming from, I would have to break the wall down. At this time, I do not have the money for this.

Since living here in this place for four months, I have been sick a lot with a cough. I had flu about 1 month ago and still have a cough. And still have some problems swallowing. I wonder if the mofo in the wall is making me sick.

A health worker happened to come by here today and registered me for the new clinic/hospital opening here in the favela. She took all my information, formal name, age, birthdate, address, CPF number etc. I told her about my condition and then she started talking about TB or Tuberculose. I do not know anything about TB and told her so. She handed me a small information book on TB. I asked her if the water and “mofo” in the wall could cause TB and she said possibly, so now I have some concern. I just do not want to be sick anymore.

I need to talk to the rental agency about this damage and potential sickness problems. With all this, I might have to move. I will talk and see if there are other places in the favela that are better for me. So the flooding has affected me in a different way yet I still may have to move. There are not many places to live here and it is very crowded. I love rocinha and if I could not find another place here, I would probably have to move to Vidigal.

Vidigal is another favela on the other side of Rocinha. I like Vidigal but it has several diferences. Vidigal is located on a steep hill and public transportation up and down the hill is not as good as Rocinha. There are not as many moto taxis and the community is not as active. Stores close early and there are few parties there. The only advantage to living there is if you can find a place high up the hill, you can have a great view of the beaches of Ipanema and Leblon.

I will try to find a resolve of this problem soon.

Difficult Decisions

2010-04-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

I walk through the community everyday and meet many people. I love living here becase one almost never gets lonely. All I need do is open my door, walk out and I meet people. With 300.000 people here I certainly do not know everybody. But many people know me becase I have been on tv a few times talking about my music and some of the projets I am making here in the favela.

About 3 months ago I met this guy at the mototaxi stand in the Via Apia. He started to ask me about my tattoos. He is a guy about 21 years old. I will call him Mario. My friend Grey from Australia told me about Mario a few weeks before. Mario works as a lookout for the gang here in the favela. At first I did not know this. But after talking with Grey and seeing his radio on his hip, I figured this had to be the same guy. Most of the guys who work in the gang are serios and do not talk much with the residents. Mario is different. I have seen him in his spot next to the restarant on the lookout for any possible threat to their business. He always greets me with a friendly “hello”. And he asks how I am doing.

One day while at the taxi stand Mario commented on one of the t-shirts I made. The shirt has a gun diagonally placed on the front with the words “Rocinha, Respeita O Poder”. He really liked this shirt and wanted to know how he could get one. He wants me to make him a shirt. This is not the first time but its different becase he works with the ruling gang here in the favela. Everybody wants a t-shirt from me, but I am not rich. I can not do this for everybody.

How do I feel about this situation? Its complicated becase when you live in the favela, these guys live here too. I do not fear them becase I have never done anything to have fear of them. I do not use drugs so what do I need fear. I am a worker like most the residents here. Many of the guys in the gang like me and say hello. But this guy I am talking about, goes out of his way now to stop me and want to talk. I guess he is curios about my work.

Interesting how life evolves in the favela. I saw Mario about 3 weeks ago without the radio on his hip. I asked him if was working and he told me that he left the gang. In the favelas, you can leave the gang if you find a normal job. You just have to never talk about your activities while you were in the gang. The gang here is not like others where you can never get out. There are always people wanting to join the gang becase it is about economics. When you are poor and favelado and feel you have no other options, you find work where you can. I make no judgement as I am far from perfect and I once was one of them becase I too, sold drugs.

So, Mario told me that he found work as a cobrador or a person who collects money working with the vans that transport people in and out of the favela. I was happy for him and he seemed happy too. It’s not often guys leave the gang as earning money being from the favela is not easy, or you get paid very poorly if you work outside the favela.

About 10 days ago during that 4 days where we had a lot of flooding here in Rio, I was walking through the Valao. The Valao is one of the poorer areas of Rocinha at the bottom of the hill. It’s called the Valao becase there is a open sewer system that runs down the middle of the street. The word vala means ditch and valao means big ditch.

As I was walking through the Valao, I heard a voice call out to me and it was Mario. He was hanging out with another guy chatting and he called me over. He asked me about the design he wanted for the t-shirt. I was surprised becase he told me he left the gang to work with the vans. He told me to turn around and look across the alleyway. I did and saw a .762 automatic machine gun propped up on the sidewalk. He smiled, and I asked if he was back with the gang and he said yes. I just replied “ok”. What am I supposed to say? This is his life and he knows what the gang life is about. Sad thing is I like the guy becase he is friendly and treats everybody with respect. I wish him the best and just hope eventually that he can find a better line of work.

Recently after a police invasion about 1 month ago, the guys have been setting up kind of a checkpoint in the favela. If I am walking down the hill from my house, the checkpoint is right by the Casa da Paz, right before reaching the Curva do “S”. The gang has several guys there with machine guns and other weapons. Today, one guy was carrying a rocket launcher. And there seemed to be more guys there today. Usually there are about 6 or 8 of them but today I saw at least 15 of them. Maybe they are preparing or expecting another invasion. The checkpoints are to see who is coming and going in the favela. Every car and van is looked over. If you plan to drive through Rocinha it is best to have all your windows open. They mostly stop taxis and vans that do not look familiar. But they do not stop the car for long. They just kind of look in the car briefly and let the car go. This checkpoint is set up after dark. There is another checkpoint at the top of the hill as well in the area called 99. So both entrances are watched by the gang.

So, today while walking down the main street here in Rocinha, I stop into my favorite market to say hello to this girl who I know. On my way out I meet a few other friends and continue on. As a said before, you cannot get lonely in this place. As I am walking by the checkpoint I hear Mario call my name. everybody here has apelidos, or nicknames. For people who do not know my name but try to get my attention, they call me “Rocinha” . I see Mario sitting in the middle of the street with his 14kg .762 machine gun. I go into the middle of the street where he is sitting. He reaches out his hand. I shake it. He asks me about the design I am making for him. I told him that I made him two that he can chose from. At the time I had nothing planned, so I jumped on a bike and went to my house to grab the designs for him. I returned gave them to him and he was happy. A couple other guys decided to come over and check them out and asked about if they could have designs. I just told them that to talk to Mario and I am sure they all can share. Before leaving, I told Mario to be careful with that thing (the thing being the heavy machine gun he had on his lap). He laughed and joked, “Ok daddy, I will”.

I really do not want to make this a habit as then everybody expects something from you all the time. There is only one me..But this is how the politics in the favela works.

News about Favela Adventures

2010-04-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

The foto on the top left is Dan Robertson on top of my roof in Rocinha. he came on a tour and a baile funk party here in Rocinha. Please, checkout his blog at http://dandoestheworld.blogspot.com

The foto on the top right is two guests on top of my friends roof in Rua 1 at the top of the hill.

Living in Rocinha, I have great opportunities to meet many people from all over the world. I have the best work in that I get to help people understand the place that I live. The media destroyed the image of the favelas a long time ago. Interesting that Brazilians have fears of favelas but foreigners come here with the open mind and no fears. We welcome foreigners becase after visiting here they can tell people about the realities of life here. Living here in a favela is not as bad as the news says. It is not easy either but not impossible. I would rather have my friends than money.

I meet people who come to see my community. I guess everybody has their own reasons for coming here. Some are curios about the way the community functions outside of government control. Some of corse want to understand the role of the drug lords. We are a community of survivors who have managed to do for ourselves becase we have no choice. I call our favela one of organized caos, becase to the outsider the favela looks like a bunch of houses smashed together without direction.

One of my favorite guests were a couple from Angola who wanted to film everyday life in Rocinha. Everything from walking in a barbershop to riding on the back of a motobike up the hill. I gave them more access than a regular visit becase their interest was to go back to the slums in Angola and show our everyday life here. They made a film to educate their comunities. This was only the second group visit where I spoke Portugues the whole time. This is rare becase Brazilians who are not from favelas, do not make visits to favelas. So speaking Portugues is not common. The first was a couple from Minas Gerais who I later found out were the owners of “Havianas”, the sandals most commonly worn in Brazil. I guess they were doing business research as everybody in favelas wear havianas. We have a population of about 300.000 people and everybody has at least one pair of havianas, so that’s a lot of sandals. In Rocinha there are more stores who have these sandals for sale.

Although many favelas get a bad reputation becase of the news, there is so much more here than the drug trade. I think we can all agree that drugs are everywhere and problems exist with this. In the poor areas of the North America and Europe, there is this same problem of desperate people who have little opportunity taking what they can to survive. I am not making apology for this. But this is just the way it is.

We have the formal and informal sectors of work. The person who works in a restarant or in a hotel works in the formal section and you need get your work card signed by the person who employs you. The guy who sells you water on the beach or rents you a beach chair, works in the informal sector. All of the people working in the informal sector live in favelas. They do this type of work becase they probly do not have the education to work in the formal sector. If you do not have education, working in the informal sector is better than selling drugs. At least it is honest work. I work in the informal sector becase I can not find a job in the formal sector. I prefer to work in my community, I like being here. I feel uncomfortable and do not like leaving the favela My favela needs help and if I can I try to help.

I have two new tour guides that I have hired to work with me in showing our comunity to the world. Vinicius "Maka" Basilio and Rodrigo "Miyague" Zambianchi, both live in the favela. Maka lives in Rua 1 which is where I was raised as a kid. And Miyague lives in Rua 2. I tend to hang out more with Miyague as he lives very close and is not working very much. Maka works another job with his month making fod deliveries outside the favela. I hope as business goes I can give more people jobs as this is what the purpose of what we do here. People living here need to be making the tours.

Recently, many visitors have come here to the favela to write about their experiences. Below are some of the articles written about our work here. Please take the time to see what people are writing about us.

http://dandoestheworld.blogspot.com/2010/03/favelas-of-rio.html

http://riotimesonline.com/news/rio-travel/touring-rios-favelas/

http://www.gonomad.com/tours/1003/favela-tours.html

If you have questions about the article or the work we do, please write to me. I will do my best to answer all your questions.

Living in the Favela.

2010-04-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

The foto is visitors to my home in Rocinha. We are sitting on my rooftop enjoying the view.

Many visitors ask me how it is to live here in a favela. So, I decide to write about this. There is much misinformation in the media about what life is like here. And most of the media portrays life here as being one of misery and awful conditions.

I was born here and I really do not know much different. I have lived in other places but do not feel like I belong in these places. The favela is community for me. It is where I belong. I know so many people here. I can not walk the streets or becos without somebody knowing me or calling my name. It feels good to have a place where I feel cared for, loved and needed. Outside the favela is very different because everybody is for themselves. In my life, the favela has always helped me and I try help it too. Living here, this is how it is.

People think that the drug traffic controls everything but this is not true. The guys sell their drugs and of course people buy. The majority of the people who buy are not from the favela. They are the middle class and rich who come in to buy their stuff. Drugs is not a problem only in the favela. Drugs is a world problem.

The gang does not control my life. The rules are simple, if you do not steal, kill or rape, nothing will ever happen to you. Living here, I have never had a problem becase I never think about wanting to break the rules. Unless you have bad intentions the life is good here. What makes Rocinha a special place for me is the people. My life is simple. I work, enjoy my life, have my friends and family. What more do I need.

I live in a small shack here in Rocinha. Things are not perfect but my life is ok. Sometimes we do not have water and times the electricity does not work, but I have my health and have a job. My house is small but the space is big enough for me and a guest. I also have a nice roof view of the community. Now I am living here alone but sometimes I have volunteers who help out here in the favela and they stay with me. Every morning I wake up and say a big hello to the favela and when I go to sleep I tell the community, good night. This keeps me connected to the favela and reminds me to always be humble and appreciate the things I have, not the things I do not.

My favela has about 300.000 people living here in 800 square meters of area. Rocinha is very crowded place and noisy. The place never sleeps. There is constant activity here. Since 1997 people have rights to their houses so many people are now making improvements on their houses. With the government project and personal home improvements, construction is going on almost everywhere here. One of my neighbors in one week built and second floor on to his house. I was amazed that he did this with only one other person helping him. This is the way in the favela.

Rocinha is really a city inside the city of Rio de Janeiro. We have about 55.000 houses here. Favelas are starting to be integrated with the rest of the city. Just five years ago, you would never see favela communities on city maps. It was as if we did not exists. Strange considering that about 1 in every 3 people in Rio de Janeiro lives in a favela now. Close to 2 million people live in favelas.

We have two bus routes that go through the favela on our one main street that starts at the bottom in Sao Conrado and goes up the hill to the other side which is Gavea. One bus route (#546) goes to Leblon, the other (#592) goes to Leme which is close to Copacabana. There is also kombi vans that go to Leme (#593) and Botofogo (#592) as well and the mototaxis that serve the favela for 2 reais. Transport here runs all night and it is very easy to get anywhere in the South Zone of Rio.

Many days when I am not working, I just take walks through the community just to remind me how lucky I am to live here and have my family and friends. Today I decided to walk on Rua 1 or first street which is a beco (alleyway) that cuts across the top of the favela and runs down the right side of the hill. And ends at the bottom in Raiz which is a area in Rocinha. I met so many friends today and becase I was not working, it was nice to have the time to stop and talk to many people.

It really hurts me when people think that I live in a bad place. Or they think favela life is all misery. This is not true. Of corse you will always have people who do not have such a good life. As I said before, life is never perfect but if you were to ask the people here if they had the choice to leave, would they? Probably 90% prefer to stay here. This life here is all I really know. How could I move? Where would I move to? How would I live? How would I make friends? How would the people on the outside treat me? So many fears I would have to leave here.

Becase of our situation living in favelas, we experience much prejudice here in Rio. Many people who live in the formal city think favelados (people who live in favelas) are all criminals and uneducated. I am a favelado only becase I live in a favela, and I am not a criminal and I have some education. This is one reason that I do not like to leave the favela. I feel safe here. I never have troubles here becase everybody knows the rules. To the outsider the favela looks like a place of caos and confusion but there is more organization than people think.

We have a community government which is like a liason to the outside world. It is called a residents association which represents the right for all who live in the favela. If there is a serious problem that we in the favela can not solve, then we can ask the residents association to ask for help to the city of Rio. Our RA was formed in 1961 so it has been established here in Rocinha for a long time.

My life is pretty simple, I am a guide here who brings visitors in to see my community. I help educate them about the realities of life of living in the favela. I dispel myths that the media has brainwashed into the minds of both the brazilian people and the foreign media. I show them that the favela is so much more than crime and drugs like the news says. We have so many good things going on here too. The outside world needs to know what life is like inside a favela from WE who LIVE there!

I can say proudly that I like my life here and I have no plans to leave. Even if I was to win the lottery I would not leave here. I love my life here. Sou favelado com muito orgulho.

The favela is me and I am the favela!!

Sou Favelado Blog

2009-11-05T23:40:00.000-08:00

So one of my friends Anwar (foto of him to the left) has decided to write about his experience of living in Rio's favelas. He just started his Blog today and will add more information as time goes on. He is still learning how to navigate his Blog.

I think it is VERY IMPORTANT for him to let people know about his experiences in Parada de Lucas, Chapeu Mangueira and other favelas that he had chance to stay and work in. He has embraced favela culture 100% and has made many friends there.

He plans to move back to Rio sometime near the beginning of the new year. His plans are to move to Vidigal favela on the other side of the hill from Rocinha. He plans to work in some capacity with filmaking, possibly with "Nos do Morro", a non profit that helps favela kids in the arts. If you are not from Brazil and have stayed or lived in a favela he wants to hear from you..

his Blog is: http://favelado.wordpress.com

Make sure to tell him Zezinho sent you!

How Outsiders can have a profitable business inside the favela

2009-10-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

I have received many emails about this subject. There are many foreigners who see the favela as a oportunity to earn a lot of money but it is not that easy. I have friends in many part of the world who want to do this. The only real way to do this without much politicing is to LIVE here in the comunity.

With the whole favela tour business going on, some of the residents are now realizing what is going on. The majority if not all the tour operators live outside of the comunity, yet they make their money HERE off the backs of we who live here. Some give back a small amount into the comunity, but not enough to really change things or make a big diference in the lives of favela people. People in the favela are seeing outsiders now trying to take advantage at the expense of people who live here.

I will tell foreigners this, before deciding on opening up a comercial enterprise, it is best to come visit the comunity for one month and see if you like it here. Visiting the place is very diferent from living in the favela. You need to see how life works here and how people interact. After your one month then you can make the choise of you think is right to open a business here in Rocinha (or any other favela).

The mention of a hostel has come up several times by people I know. I have been thinking of this too becase I have so many friends all over the world who want come and stay in the favela. A hostel would work, but really depends on where it is located in the comunity as there are certain areas I would not want visitors to stay in Rocinha. The visitors as well, you would have to trust, would need be on their best behavior, which means NO ILLEGAL ACTIVITY..people from the outside do not know but the police will target foreigners leaving favela comunites assuming they bought drugs there. When you live there it is ok to enjoy the culture and people, but stay away from bad influences.

The kind of business matters to becase, to be honest Rocinha, does not need another bar opening up. We already have enough of them..A night club maybe, but a bar, no! This is why living in the comunity for a month you can do research and find out what the comunity wants or needs. If you want a business that is sucessful, find out what will sell....talk to the people about their needs and wants!

The first thing to think of is how will your business be a benefit to the comunity. Remember as a foreigner, the favela is not your home. We are to a degree very protective of our own. This comes from a history of having to do everything ourselves and not relying on the goverment to give us anything. So, of course we will look out after our own interests to benefit our comunity first. This does not mean it cannot be done. But you will be scrutinized as to your intentions in the favela.

What advise I tell these people is be prepared to contribute something to the comunity. The favela doesnt take well to people using the comunity without contributing "something" back to help the favela. So, when you think about your idea, keep in the back of your mind how you can make money but also give a small portion of your profits to a NGO or scholarship fund for kids etc..If you do this, forever you will be welcomed as a member of the comunity. If you only think of YOURSELF, you will not last long here in Rocinha.

I live here and am born and raise here and I contribute. Not a lot becase right now I do not earn a lot and people know me and my intentions. But for me right now, helping other favelados is a big plus for me showing that I do not think only about myself.

I could go into more details here but I think people understand what I am talking about.

My Rant

Another form of Exploitation

*** A note about tours, yes I make tours but anyone who knows me or has seen my website know exactly what I do.

I often receive emails like this:

"I am doing a project to study (fill in the blank) and I am interested to learn more about the community. I am not interested in a tour but would like to come to your favela and meet and talk to the people about (fill in the blank). I want to see what the life is like there"

I realize that there is much interest about favelas, first because of the glorifying TV or Films that show all the violence, drugs and bad things. Movies like "City of God" make favelas seem like hell. The second being that the favelas are independant of formal goverment control. And of course how favela comunities exist and have been able to create their own comunities is a curiosity for foreigners.

***Interesting to note, is that for ALL the research people have done about favelas, little has been done to change conditions there. I wonder why that is? Many books have been written about the people, Social problems, lack of healthcare, education, architecture, anthropology etc..but still the favela has not made drastic changes..

Now its a good thing that people want to help educate and learn about our comunities, but again you need realize people here are poor and NEED money just like you. People in favelas will never have the chance like you, the foreigner, to get on a plane and visit your country. In favelas 95% of the population has never travelled outside their state never mind travelled on a plane. You are blessed that you live in a country with out "Favelas", you may have poor areas, but nothing compared to favelas, and I am talking about North American and the majority of Europe. Unforunately there is no upward mobility for favelados unless you are a famose futebol player or singer. In Reality 99% of favela residents who live here will never be able to leave here and will die here.

What I am getting at here is, you have the available resources to come visit Brazil, you WANT something from a POOR area, to complete YOUR projet, but what are you willing to do to help the comunity you are TAKING from? I have given many people free tours of the comunity, but the majority have given something to the comunity. Most come to volunteer, others donate clothing or school supplies to NGO's and I support this 100%. Our comunities need help and so many people think it is ok to take advantage.

But for the University student from the modern western world (where running water and eletricity are certainly not a problem to receive), who expects me to drop everything for them, including pass up work (which I need) to service them, I am tired of this. I feel I am being taken advantage of. I live in the favela, becase I can not afford to move out. You the foreign student, although you may not be rich, somehow got the money to get airfare, hotel, hostel or place to stay "outside of a favela" (if you were staying inside the favela, I would be more sympatetic), you have plenty of food, clean cloths etc...and you can not afford 60$reais (about 30$US) to come learn about the comunity, meet with the locals ect for 5 hours???? It would be diferent if I was NOT a guide here in the comunity but had a totally diferent job doing something else. But some of you are expecting me to do MY JOB for FREE. Just like YOU, I NEED to work to eat too! So, PLEASE respect my right to earn a honest living...

Ok here is example for those of you who still may not understand. I have a friend who works doing websites. This is his JOB! All day he makes websites. When he comes home from work, the last thing he wants to think about is websites. Do you think it fair for me to expect him to make a website for free for me, just becase we are Friends??? I do not expect him to do for free becase this is his JOB and I RESPECT his way he makes his living..It would be selfish of me to expect this of him..and unfair. He has value and his work has value. So, If i respect him, I need pay him for his work.

So, for all of you out there who expect to want information by coming/visiting to the comunity, if you want it, PLEASE contribute to the comunity in some way, volunteer, give something back, and people in the comunity will be more than happy to help you with your projet. But to come in and expect everybody to service YOUR wants, is not the way to go.

Think of this when you email me that like you, I have a job and if I do not work, I do not eat or pay my rent. It is that simple!

Somebody who emails me wanting information about my comunity, I have NO problem responding, becase I can respond "When I have time", but to take the time to show somebody around, bring them in the favela, then escort them out etc..this is very time consumming. This is why I am a guide becase if I am earning money doing this, I can provide for my family and provide a great service to my guests. If my work is valued, I am happy. Like everybody on the planet, I am trying to contribute my small part to help my comunity of Rocinha!

ok I think I said enough!

Rant over. I feel better now..

Tchau, tchau, maiow!

Bruno Borges: Classism and Prejudice courtesy of the Brazilian middle class!

2009-09-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

I vote this guy...idiot of the day!

Read this passage below written by Bruno Borges a 26 year old resident of Rio and his opinion of favela residents. His comments were posted on couchsurfing.com website which is a website that supposedly supports anti discrimination written material! We were discussing foreigners and their wanting to visit favela comunities.

I am going to pick apart what he say and why I have a problem with his statements. His comments are in bold smaller print.

Bruno: "I'd say that: it's not a rule that anyone who lives in a Favela is a criminal, rather most criminals live in Favelas. Why? Because the way they are. Disorganized, out of control and geographically well positioned."

Yet he fails to mention that the "so called criminals" are tightly joined at the hip with the corrupt police forces and politicians that control the very city he lives! We all agree that the drug dealing criminals certainly make favelas dangerous places to be if you do not know somebody there or being there for some purpose. Nobody likes the drug situation, but as I have said so many times..if there were not buyers, the sellers (traficante) would not exist! So, my blame is put on the users. I am not perfect, but I am not into drugs of any kind, even if I have headache.. And regarding drugs, so I wonder what Bruno thinks of the drugs that are peddled in the nightclubs outside of the favelas. I had a guy try to sell me Acid and "E" (ecstacy) outside a club in Botafogo and this guy was not "some guy from the favela."

Bruno: "I do not suggest people to go to a Favela because poor people live in there and because I think this would look like going to a zoo - even this thoughts come to my mind - but yes, I do not suggest simply because, there are criminals living in there, and at any day, any time, a war between dealers and cops, or dealers and dealers, can suddenly start. And from this situation, there's nothing you can do except hide and pray for not being hit by a bullet."

It's obvious that this guy has no idea what he talks about. He assumes only POOR people live there. Yes, the majority may be poor, but more middle class are moving to favelas becase rents in their own comunities are too much. Also how do we define "poor"? There is Africa "I havent eaten in a week and have no clothes" poor, then there is how we in favelas live. Yes, it is poor but nobody is "starving"! And what... nobody should go there, just because there is poor people. Bruno, then what do you think of the varios non profits that go there to help the people. They should not go there either?

He also mentions that "there are criminals living in there", does he really think favelas are the only places criminals live?? You know Bruno, I live there and I am NOT a criminal..Of course there are criminals that live there just as there are criminals who live outside of favelas too! It is a bigger subject matter in trying to determine why "people become criminals?" That is a question that is left to sociologists, but I can tell you that, in general, when people are not given "equal" oportunity in education, job oportunities, healthcare etc..many do become criminals. Is it right? Of course, NOT, but it is reality. If I am some 18 year old from a poor comunity who is not given equal oportunity in the job force, eventually I may turn to crime to survive. I in no way condone crime of any kind,but I am not living in the shoes of somebody who makes that choice,

so I cannot judge.

Although "invasions of cops or dealers do happen", how about the "arrastao" or the robberies and such that happen all the time in Copa or other tourist areas in Rio. And Rio is not the only place that has this problem. My best friend was pickpocketed in Rome, Italy. One of my martial arts students was beat up and robbed in Paris by three guys, so this kind of crimes can and do happen everywhere. Sad but true.

Bruno: "Please, don't get me wrong here as it follows.
The Amazon is a cool place. Lots of people live in there. Lots of tourists go there too. But I would not suggest a walk in the middle of the jungle, as it is not safe just as a Favela isn't. The "tour" sounds like the same. A guide takes you to dangerous areas, risky areas, but they tell you they will protect you, will overlook for you. But this is not always true. Warm situations turns people into savages, and their first instinct is to regard for themselves. What does this means? Watch your back."

So now he go on his writing about comparing the Amazon Jungle to the favela. This is where I have a BIG problem. Becase he is comparing people of the favela to animals. I have never heard of ANY tourist visiting a favela being killed or hurt in any way. So, again he has no idea what he is talking about!

Bruno: "The people who live in the Amazon are like the average people who live in a Favela. Cool people, honest, but as in a Favela, the jungle has a higher concentration of dangerous animals that won't miss an opportunity to hit your back if they think they need to. Animals will attack if they must, if they feel alarmed and if they feel ... hungry."

Sounds passive agressive to me..he says the people are cool, honest but then goes on to again mention the comparison of people to animals in a jungle. I find this offensive. HELLO! BRUNO...I LIVE IN A FAVELA and I am NOT an ANIMAL!!! Its obvious this guy has never travelled and seen anything more than his protected middle class life.

Bruno: "As in a Favela, animals from the jungle can surprisingly act weird. People from the Amazon will warn you about how dangerous can be to walk around in the middle of the jungle. They will tell you to not go just to "take pictures" and "to know how does it feels". They will ask you: "do you REALLY NEED to go there?!".

More of his rant of favela=animals in jungle stuff and how "People" can act weird..bla bla bla..

Bruno: "For me, who wasn't born in the middle of the jungle, I'd think twice, or even more times, before going there just to "walk around and get to know the place". I don't need, I don't want to know a Favela. My curiosity in favour of that is the same as about the Amazon jungle. None."

Ok here he is just saying his opinion of not having a desire to go there, ok, no prob there. But the fact that he still is using the word jungle when we all know he is referring to the favela does show his discrimination against the favela and its residents. So by his not wanting to "know a favela", he will never be open to changing his idea that there are good people there too. His mind will be stuck forever thinking the same way..sad! Maybe is he got to know some of the people there, he would then realize that the people there are not ALL criminals. I consider myself a good person who lives a honest life, I do not drink alcohol and never use drugs. So, I take his remark in not wanting to "know a favela", that he would have no interest in knowing me.

Bruno: "Just for a thought: ask a Yankee who was born in Manhattan, if he would take you to walk around the Brooklyn, or Bronx."

Here he mentions not only the word "Yankee", which is offensive to any American, but includes

places he has never been as an example of prejudice too. I wonder what the people of the Bronx or Brooklyn would think of this guy prejudice against their neighborhood? I have been to the Bronx and Brooklyn and I am sure there are areas that are more sketchy than others, I never felt fears when I was there.

Bruno: "To conclude my opinion, I'd like to ask people who live in a Favela, specially for those who were born at: if you were born at somewhere else, would you really take someone to a Favela Tour?
Zezinho, I honestly think you are happy living in there, and I'm glad you feel that way. For all the people that think like you, I feel happy. And I respect that. I truly do. Again, don't get me wrong here. If you think you got the wrong idea, please reread this whole text over and over. But just consider others' opinion as most of us consider yours."

Dude, you wrote offensive, bigoted, prejudiced comments about people and places that you have even said that you have never been and have no interest in knowing! This is the place I live and you just made it sound like I am in a jungle which I feel I am NOT. And that everybody around me is like somebody waiting to kill somebody..Then you try to be all passive with me after equating my neighborhood to being a jungle full of wild animals just waiting to attack.

This guy is an ignorant and as long as this attitude persists, racism, prejudice and bigotry will continue to keep Brazil a third world country!

I think the thing that is more upsetting to me is not so much this guys attitude (I think amoung the Brazilian Middle class this is so common) but that Couchsurfing would allow this kind of prejudice to be posted publically especially in this day and age.

New Website and Rocinha happenings!

2009-08-30T01:46:00.000-07:00

I have finally completed the website...finally..so much work and getting all the people together in Rocinha to release this idea..

The website: http://www.favelatourism.com or http://www.favelatour.org.

I am determined and committed to making sure people in the favela get their oportunity. There is so much potential with all of us working together.

The website has about 30 pages so please take a look. Very important is to read our Mission statement and our Vision for the future in Rocinha.

When I return to Rio, I will be talking with a guy who live in another favela and how I can help him to help his comunity! I told him I have ideas but I can not do it for you. He can use my ideas no problem becase he is a "favelado com muito orgulho". Like me, he is very proud of his roots. I trust him and know he sincerely wants to make a positive diference in his comunity.

On my site there is several sections. The first one is about the tours I offer to my guests/friends. If you come here in Rocinha you will be treated to much more than a tour. This is the largest section as I have sections that explain the history of favelas, Rocinha, Samba and Funk music. Also there are diferent types of visits people experience in Rocinha.

I have a testimonial area where previos visitors talk about their personal experence in the comunity. I have even added a forum. So you can join and post whatever you like. If you have visited a favela before or Rocinha, I would like to know your story.

The second section is for those people who may want to come and stay in the favela..I will help you find accomodation, give you a tour of the neighborhood and give you ideas of what activities you can do here.

Section three is the cultural programs or Favela Adventures where guests can stay in the comunity and study a number of activities. Right now we have 7 activities. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Capoeira, Judo, Muay-Thai & Western Boxing, Surfing, Bodyboarding and portuguese language. As time goes on there are other activities, I will add.

Section four is the non profit I started with two other Americans Arthur Hamilton and Andy Silva in California. The purpose of the non profit is to raise money to build a comunity center for Arts and Culture programs in Rocinha. We welcome anyone who has interest to volunteer.

Section five, I have dedicated to my friend Tio Lino who has donated 29 years of his life to teaching kids art in Rocinha. He is born and raised resident and works tirelessly to help kids out of trouble.

So please take some time and check out my website and tell me what you think? :)

If there is anything you want to know about life here in Rocinha, send your questions to me at: rocinhajj@yahoo.com.br

thanks

Zezinho

Opportunists

2009-08-21T04:03:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been receiving contacts from people who seem to talk a good game but not back it up! I am tired of talk. Places like Rocinha need lots of help in diferent areas.

Anybody who knows me, knows how much I really care and love Rocinha. There is so much unused potential in this comunity which is why I feel necessary to try to find this talents and show them to the outside world. I was given this ability and I need to focus on this.

So, I receive emails from people who want to know my ideas. I then tell them and next thing I know, they take my ideas and use them for their own profit. Again without giving back something to me or the favela.

So this company in Europe first contacted me in may about setting up some activity, but not inside the favela but outside. I did the wrong thing in telling him he should try to offer this type of programs in the favela (which I think is good). When I spoke with him he wanted assurances from me as he felt the favela was not safe, ok, understandable. But I explained to him that as a resident, i can do things here that outsiders can not. He seemed so against it so, I let it go as he will do his programs elsewhere.

I receive a email from him a few days a ago. So, before responding, I checked his website. He had found his people to do his programs but the thing that upset me is that he used my ideas.

If I had not in the first place ever mentioned the favela ideas, I would not be writing this right now. So, in his email a few days ago, again he is asking me about my ideas. Well, I feel used and exploited. On his website it is obvious that he is in it to make money. Which is not bad thing. But my focus is very diferent.

My programs the main focus is to give as many jobs to favela residents ONLY! And of course build the much needed comunity center in Rocinha. Also everyone knows how I feel about favela tours, that the residents who live in the favela should be conducting the tours, not outsiders who lie or reinforce negative stereotypes! Or companies who put lots of money in their own pocket and give nothing back to the comunities that they make their living off of.

Favelas need to take back their neighborhoods and stop the exploitation from the outsiders!

Anyhow, I am kind of upset right now. I think I need to stop there!

prevent youth involvement in drug traficking

2009-08-11T07:09:00.001-07:00

Rambo da Rocinha

2009-07-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

Every neighborhood or city has their characters of people the are recognizeable. Rocinha has many people that stand out in the comunity as being different. People consider me a character too because I am the only person in the neighborhood who has the favela tatooed all over their body. So, I am easy recognizeable. The purpose of this post is to let you know about one of my favorites. Rambo da Rocinha!

When you see first him, you think he belongs in a war movie or a jungle. But he lives here in Rocinha. He goes by the name "Rambo". It is common in Brazil for people to have nick names. Mine is Zezinho based of my middle name "Josivaldo". Ronaldinho, famos footballer need I say more..I think you get it..

Many times I had seen him walking through Rocinha but never had time to stop and introduce myself to him. I had heard all sorts of stories about him living in a cave and all..He is always smiling and very friendly. So, this day I made the effort to say hello to him! :)

So, Rambo, whose real name is Marcio, is originally from Minas Gerais. He has lived in Rocinha now for 25 years and loves his life here. I would say that he is probably about 47 years old but keeps in good shape with all his physical work he does.

Rambo walks through the comunity wearing army fatigues for pants and a green army type shirt, with ropes around his neck, and knife in his belt. The only thing missing is a gun. But, I do not think he needs one. He wears this old green hat, like a baseball type cap.

I first met him when I was renting a kitchette (studio type place) in the ponto 7 area of Rocinha, not far from Rua 2 (2nd street). I woke one day to hear loud noises not far from my front door. It is common to hear much noise in the favela becase there is always somebody improving there house and constructions happening. But this noise was like a chainsaw, so I went to the door and saw Rambo high in a tree with ropes around him, probably safety lines so he does not fall. He was cutting branches off a tree in the middle of the favela.

I opened my door and saw him in front of me but of a distance of about 20 meters up in the tree cutting branches. I waved, and then got my camera becase I had heard many stories of Rambo and seen him walking in the streets but never saw him "working" until now. When he saw my camera he posed, no problem.

When he took a break, he came and knocked on my door. I opened it and let him in. I introduced myself and he did the same and we got to thinking ablout old times. We talked about the "old" Rocinha and how it was, about the first "dono do morro" Denis who was loved by all for instituting "A lei da favela" (the law in the favela) here in Rocinha. We had many old stories and memories of happenings in the comunity that we shared. We chatted for about an hour then he had to return to his work.

After that talk it was like, I would see him everyday. So, a couple days after our first meeting I asked him what he does. His work is a mixture of many things, tree cutter, fireman, security for big events in the comunity, trafic control and other odd jobs helping people. A friend of mine told me about how he reduced a huge trafic jam in the favela.

I have also seen the gentler side of Rambo. He loves critters too!! Many times he has snakes or other tropical animals. I have seen him cuddle kittens and even a baby goat. The thing that means the most is the guy helps people and cares for the animals too. I have put some fotos of him here.

Enjoy!

Yes, I admit it: I LOVE cats!

2009-07-29T00:59:00.000-07:00

Fotos from top center Rua 4 cat, Rua 4 my favorite beco! bottom left to right: Bey, Avril covering her face, and Pitty

CATS!!!!!

I live in a place that is so full of "critters". I love them all but I have my favorites. When I grew up we always had cats becase if you had a cat, you never had rats! Quando voce tem gato, voce nao tem rato! So true!!!

Becase of the tight living spaces favelas have and not adquate services, sometimes depending on the area there are mice and rats..The biggest rat I saw was about 25 cm long which is big and probably that thing weighed about 2 kgs. But it was not near me so I am ok with that..As long as they do not come in my house, no problems.

When I was a child, we had a orange tabby. This cat was my buddy and followed everwheres I went and slept with me. I really miss him, but I have had other cats since him. All were wonderful critters.

I do not have anything against dogs, just prefer cats. I think the things I like more about cats is, they are quiet, they clean themselves, they purr, their fur is soft, they talk to you in their different types of miaows, and they do silly things. But most what I like is that they can be ying or yang..They can be the soft cuddly thing or the agressive hunter in the wild! I also like they have a certain independance too.

Where I am living now, there are two furballs, Pitty and Avril. There was Bey, my favorite but one day she just never came home. I hope wherever she is that she is safe and loved. She used to come in my window late at night and jump on my bed and curl up next to me. In the morning she would gently bite me on the face to wake me up so I would feed her. I really miss her. Pitty and Bey used have these major battles in the kitchen. I think they were jelaous of each other. Pitty being the senior cat and all, thought that the kitchen was hers! Avril just avoided and did what she liked an never challenged Pitty.

So, everyday, I was down my beco (alley), I encounter several "friends", there is a friendly black cat 10 doors down the beco that I will see many once a week. At the end of beco Travessa Real there is this furry cream colored kitty who as soon as I talk comes running. She has a deformed back righ leg and has troubles getting around, but is able to get her pets from me and others. I noticed she has two friends who live with her. Two black and white shorthairs who now arrive when I come close to her. They both headbutt the cream one out of the way so they can get to me. Such fun to have these cats fight over me..funny..

As I make my way down to the hill, I decide to always take Rua 4 (4th Street), about half way down, there is a cat that I would love to steal and take home with me. She is a medium hair Calico. I have included fotos of her. I arrive at the barzinho (small bar) and she comes running. This is a outside bar where there is a counter that stretches into the beco. People can stand outside and grab a cerveja!

So, I go by and she comes running. I give her some head scratches and she purrs really loud. Her favorite thing is to keep her back paws on the bar as she put her front paws on my shoulders and kneeds her claws into my shirt (no problem, it does not hurt), all while licking my face or hair. Very cute!!! Almost every day I see this friendly cat and I leave with a smile on my face. I am thankful of such simple things and how they can make me happy. I am very lucky!

I do not have any of my own cats right now, but I will soon, when I buy a new house here. I want 2 so they can keep each other busy.