Favela
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A favela is the Brazilian equivalent of a shanty town, which are generally found on the edge of the city. They have electricity, but often not formally. Favelas are constructed from a variety of materials, ranging from bricks to garbage. Many favelas are very close and very cramped. They are plagued by sewage, crime and hygiene problems. Although the most infamous ones are located in Rio de Janeiro, there are favelas in almost every large Brazilian town. The name originates from a species of plant with thorny leaves that grows in the semi-arid North-East region. Refugees and former soldiers involved in the Canudos Civil War (1895-1896) in Bahia would eventually settle on unreclaimed public land on a hill in Rio de Janeiro called Morro da Providência, because the government failed to provide any housing for them. The former soldiers named their new settlement Morro da Favela after the plant which had thrived at the site of a famous victory against the rebels. [1]
Over the years, most of the poor population, comprised mainly of freed black slaves moved in, replacing the refugees as the major ethnic group there. However, long before the first settlement called "favela" came into being, poor blacks were pushed away from downtown into the far suburbs. Favelas were handy for them because they allowed them to be close to work, whilst keeping away from where they were not welcome.
A favela is fundamentally different from a slum or tenement, primarily in terms of its origin and location. While slum quarters in other Latin American countries generally form when poorer residents from the countryside come to larger cities in search of work, favelas are unique in that they were created as large populations became displaced. Another important distinction is that, in a typical favela, there is an anomalous form of social life that diverges from mainstream culture and way-of-life. Such a state of things is recognized as early as 1940.[citation needed]
Shanty towns are units of irregular self-constructed housing that are unlicensed and occupied illegally. They are usually on lands belonging to third parties, and are most often located on the urban periphery. Shanty town residences are built randomly, although ad hoc networks of stairways, sidewalks, and simple tracks allow passage through them. Most favelas are inaccessible by vehicle.
These areas of irregular and poor-quality housing are often crowded onto hillsides, and as a result, these areas suffer from frequent landslides during heavy rain. In recent decades, favelas have been troubled by drug-related crime and gang warfare. There are rumors that common social codes in favelas forbid residents from engaging in criminal activity inside their own favela. Favelas are often considered a disgrace and an eyesore for local people within Brazil.[citation needed]
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[edit] History
It is generally agreed upon that the first favela was created in November 1897 when 20,000 veteran soldiers were brought to Rio de Janeiro and left with no place to live.[2] Some of the older favelas were originally started as quilombos (independent towns for refugee African slaves) among the hilly terrain of the area surrounding Rio, which later grew as slaves were liberated in 1888 with no place to live. Most of the current favelas began in the 1970s, as a construction boom in the richer neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro initiated a rural exodus of workers from poorer states in Brazil. Heavy flooding in the low-lying slum areas of Rio also forcibly removed a large population into favelas, which are mostly located on Rio's various hillsides. Since favelas have been created under different terms but with similar end results, the term favela has become generally interchangeable with any impoverished areas.[citation needed]
[edit] Favela society
People who live in favelas, known as favelados, are often very poor. Many live below the poverty line on less than 100 US$ per month. Brazil's favelas can be seen as a consequence of the unequal distribution of wealth in the country.
The majority of favelas are run by the so-called "parallel power" that runs parallel to the conventional government-driven power. The favelas, combined with the drug problem, gave birth to disorganized, but very violent and well-armed street gangs. In most cases, police officers cannot enter the favelas unless in a large-scale operation.[citation needed]
[edit] Extant favelas
The best-known favelas are those in and around Rio de Janeiro. They provide a dramatic illustration of the gap between poverty and wealth, positioned side-by-side with the luxurious apartment buildings and mansions of Rio's social elite. Several hills in Rio are densely populated by favelas. In 2004, it was estimated that 19% of Rio's population lived within favelas. Rocinha, Pavãozinho, Parada de Lucas, Cidade de Deus, Maré and Turano are some of the most famous of Rio's favelas.
[edit] Depiction in popular culture
A 1963 documentary, Flavio, marked the film debut of Gordon Parks.
The 2002 film City of God placed a spotlight on favelas, chronicling the cycle of poverty, violence, and despair in a Rio de Janeiro slum (although arguably Cidade de Deus does not meet the strict definition of a favela). The documentary Bus 174, also released in 2002, placed a focus on the poor conditions of favelas and their instigation of social stigmatization and street crime.
The 2005 documentary, Favela Rising, directed by Jeff Zimbalist, has won several awards for its daring look at life in Brazil's slums. The film focuses on the work of Anderson Sá, a former drug trafficker who establishes the music group Afro Reggae. This group aims at using music and education to better the lives of youth and prevent further growth of gangs.
The Brazilian television series City of Men takes place in a favela.
The skateboarding video game Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam has a skate course in the favelas of Rio De Janeiro.
[edit] See also
Favelas
[edit] External links
- Favela Painting, Two dutch artists, dre urhahn and jeroen koolhaas, are creating paintings in the favelas.
- Population in Rio´s favelas reaches one million, A translated article from O Globo.
- Squattercity, a blog manned by a writer who spent time in Rocinha, the largest and most urbanized favela in Rio de Janeiro, plus other squatter communities around the world.
- RadioFavela - The Sound of Rio is a podcast focusing on the relation between music and architecture in Rio de Janeiro
- Two Brothers Foundation/Fundação Dois Irmãos, a nonprofit organization based in the United States and Brazil whose mission is to provide educational opportunities in the favela of Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, through local and international community service and cultural exchange.
- Radio Favela, a community radio broadcasting from inside a favela located in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais)
- Favela Tours - a review of the favela tourism industry
- Rio de Janeiro - How the other half live - an outsider's view of Rocina
- Website of an African shack dwellers' movement
[edit] References
- ^ Neuwirth, R (2004) Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters, A New Urban World, Routledge ISBN 0415933196
- ^ Favelas commemorate 100 years - accessed December 25 2006
