Saturday March19, 2011
Malibu, California
Cloudy and Cool
"We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought." The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The first Sunday in Rio (March 6), Nicky arrived and we decided to hang out our "private beach" in front of the Sheraton. I had just finished one book and was totally engrossed in the second book I brought called "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. While listening to the waves and sipping wine on my comfortable lounge chair under an umbrella that the waiter constantly moved so I would not be exposed to direct sunlight, I was getting deep into the book. But drinking wine and water meant I had to take a bathroom break and upon returning, I noticed the irony of the situation. (You'll have to read the book to understand.) In the unmarked "Sheraton" beach zone, no one except for a few hotel guests were in the water. The waves were treacherous but I knew they were great waves to body surf and boogie board. To my left and right, outside the "Sheraton" zone, kids from the Favela ( "slums") were playing in the water. Body surfing, boogie boarding and just plain having fun. Now, the flight attendant from our flight from Miami to Rio, cautioned us to not wear jewelry etc while at the beach in front of the Sheraton cuz the "favela" kids hang out nearby. So I was at the beach with no jewelry and had my camera and room key tethered to me the whole time. But as I was reading the book, I began to question my behaviour.
The "Sheraton" Beach
The Scene to the Right of the Sheraton Beach
The Scene to the left of the Sheraton Beach
I have a passion to travel because I want to be a better human being. So when planning the trip to Rio, I learned about Marcelo Armstrong who is a pioneer of Favela Tourism. My knowledge of the Favelas were gained from the movie "City of God" (which I recommend everyone to see) and newspaper articles. I have to admit, when I thought of Favelas, I thought of crime, drugs and filth. But ever since a shameful experience about 20 years ago where in midtown NYC, a carload of black folks called on me where I worked with one of them but did not recognize him, so I cowered because I assumed they were "gangs from Harlem", I told myself that I have alot more learning to do to become a better person. So I asked my BFFs if they were open to going to a Favela tour which they were. I chose Marcelo, because he donates proceeds to the tour to programs for the Favela and his focus was on educating people on life in the Favelas and how one can help.
So on Thursday March 10, on a foggy but humid morning, we went on Marcelo's Favela tour. Our tour guide was Marina who is a volunteer and whose husband worked for IBM! What a coincidence. She was fantastic. Our first stop was the Rocinha – Rio's largest Favela. What shocked me the most was how close it is to the wealthiest section of Rio. Most Favela's are located close to the rich, because the people serve the rich and need to be able to walk to their "employment". As Sandra says, the most dramatic moment of the tour was that as the van was going up to the street, to the right one sees the entrance to the most exclusive private school in Rio (The American School) where tuition is about 33000USD per year and to the left is the entrance to Rocinha Favela.
The "Favelas" originated when soldiers from Rio who fought against an uprising of poor in the late 19th century were promised land by the govt after victory built their own community after the govt did not honor the commitment. Favela is a local plant that causes skin irritation and grows in the mountains surrounding Rio. Thus the soldiers built their homes in the mountains with the best views in town and even today, the Favelas all over Rio have the best views of all of Rio.
Unfortunately, as the milatary dictatorship in the '70s (funded by US money) took control of Brazil, the Favelas became home to the drug lords. Rocinha, for example, is today controlled by ADA – a very powerful drug lord family. Thus I was not able to take many photos especially of the motorcycles. The current govt is trying to eliminate the drug lords so there is much paranoia amongst the drug lords.
Racinha is a world in itself. They have free Internet, their own cable TV and a rising middle class. It really is a city within a city. They have their own market, stores and a vibrant art market. I bought a beautiful painting of the favela from a local artist. I wish I could have taken a photo of the market. But there were alot of young kids on motorcycles staring at us. I'm sure they were keeping an eye on us. I felt like I was on a movie set of West Side Story.
If you've seen the City of God DVD and watched the "extras" where the directors interviewed the drug lords, residents and police, you learned about the distrust the favela residents have of the drug lords and how much they rely on the drug lords for protection, food and medicine. The govt have tried eradicating the drug lords via force only to fail with 1000s of innocent residents killed in the crossfire and another drug lord take the place The good news is that in the early 2000s, President Lula understood the linkage between poverty and crime and invested close to 2B USD to provide for running water, sanitation, roads, etc. Also, he formed a new police division called the Pacifier Police Division. The police still are responsible for arresting the drug lords but once gone, the police formed a presence in the Favelas so for the first time the citizens of the "pacified" favelas had police protection.
Although Racinha is still under control by the ADA (Amigos Dos Amigos) drug family, the people are enjoying the benefits of clean running water, paved streets, sanitation services, etc and one can feel the growth of the middle class. I found the folks I spoke with in the market, shops etc to be very warm people. I also sensed the community spirit. I hope they can live free from the drug lords soon.
Racinha: one of Rio's largest Favelas. The govt built this bridge and community center for the people
Racinha
The electrical system at Racinha. They also have free Wi-Fi!
One of the main streets in Racinha. The road used to be used for Formula One racing
The view of Rio from Racinha
View of Ivo PItanguy's house from Racinha: The world's most famous plastic surgeon. He is also known in the favelas for his free clinic and is loved by the citizens of Rio.
Our next stop was Vila Canoas. A small Favela but free from control of the drug lords. Here we were able to take photos and walk around freely. What amazed me were the alleyways which now have "street names". Favelas were built by construction workers who knew how to build homes but have no architectural experience. So design, safety, building codes, etc do not exist. Also, as public schools in Brazil are not very good as teacher's salaries avg 500 R (350 USD) per month, many of the kids from the favelas do not get a decent education. Moreover, the public schools are only 1/2 day long What's great about Vila Canoas is that the founder of Fiat has funded a school for kids to go to after they are done with public school. So instead of hanging out on the streets, they spend the afternoons in school. Our driver for the tour has 3 daughters and all of them took advantage of the school that the founder of Fiat formed. One is a doctor, another is a Vet and the youngest is studying for medicine. He said he cried like a baby when the oldest got her medical degree as it was something that was unattainable for him.
But even in this Favela, the drug lords, let the people know their presence as they mark their symbol on some stores. I can only hope that as Brazil becomes an economic power, that they spread the wealth so that those that serve and fund the wealthy get their share of the benefits.
A dog welcomes us to the Vila Canoas
To the left mansions, to the right Favela
Inside the school funded by Fiat. Notice the view from the window. There are no building codes in the favela so unfortunately, views of a wall are common.
One of the narrow "streets" The streets are named after cities in Brazil. Because the residents now have street names, they can get mail delivered to them directly.
A courtyard surrounded by a maze of narrow alleyways. I found it to be very clean.
Our driver's house
Check out the stairs to get to one of the homes
Each resident decorates/paints their home.
The electrical wiring is scary though
The ADA (Amigos Dos Amigos) letting the residents know they are close by
Across the street from the Sheraton is a Favela. And I learned that most of the employees of the Sheraton live in the Favela. I got to know several of the Sheraton employees pretty well as our ritual was to have breakfast and cocktails at the Starwood club room On the last day, they made us a lime pie which was delicious! They were the friendliest people I've met with huge hearts. I am not sure if their favela is under control from a drug lord and violence still occurs in the favelas around the city as the police continue to try and eradicate the drugs. But for the sake of the majority of the kind and wonderful people living in the favelas, I hope the drug war ends soon.