What Makes a Community!

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!

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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.

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

Rambo da Rocinha

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!