Guest Blogger: Discovering the World: At Home in the “Favelas” of Brasil

Guest Blogger #98, Entry #556, June 15th

Do you like having a home? I imagine that you do. Now what if EVERYONE in the world told you that your neighborhood was bad and crime infested. You would contest that line of thought wouldn’t you? Well let me introduce you to the “Favelas” of Brasil, one of many is Rocinho in Rio de Janeiro.

Welcome back to lovely Brasil!

A Bird’s Eye View of the Favelas on the Outskirts of Rio De Janeiro, Brasil

A Closer View

How did the Favelas come to be you wonder? In the 18th century kidnapped africans who were sold into inhuemane bondage as slaves with no land ownership and employment came together to form the modern day Favelas  (then called bairros africanos). Due to industrialization the “downtown” areas of Brasil utilized  gentrification techniques (akin to those in the “states”) to disrespectfully uproot those very same africans and force them to the outskirts of the city. Recently, in part due to the pursuit of a better or different lifestyle than that offered by the rural community, favelas have seen an increase of 7.5% in regards to their population.

Notice how the uneven wealth distribution and unemployment rate has been translated into the local Brasilian architecture

Some sources state that the term Favela was taken from the name of the first Favela, on the hill Morro da Favela. So as you can see there are some discrepancies on the names origins or possibly the attempt to hide the truth. Either way I will make an effort to focus on that unique architecture featured in the Favelas though the plight of my people is difficult to read about.

Do you see the innovation? The top of the bottle is used as a light cover. Pretty neat, huh?

In terms of Rio de Janeiro architecturally – these housing clusters occur in two areas of “Rio”: Along steep hillsides or along the outer fringes of urban expansion (see article titled “Rio World Cup demolitions leave favela families trapped in ghost town.”) It is quite unfortunate that the same entity that will not help the citizens rise are invaded by that entity’s security force at will. In the past the  houses were made first from wattle-and-daub( sand and clay mixture) and wood (a temporary building material) due mainly to urban expansion by the government who would demolish any favelas in their path if they wanted to expand.

A Favela under construction

Words can not express…

Only in the last 30 years have citizens begun to use masonry construction to construct their houses. Also dictating the materials used for construction is the amount of money saved by each family and the location of the site (given they live there for free, similar to squatters). This post will be more photographic and visual – in an effort to evoke emotion from you. Enjoy – if you can.

Some youths painting their beautiful likeness on the exterior walls of their community in a mural titled ‘O Morro’

The beauty of the hillside and its view corridors are perpendicular to the disparaging lifestyles that “Faveladors” must endure

A lot of beautiful vibrant colors changes the feel a bit, doesn’t it?

Painted concrete masonry units and a lot of love within

Would it be better to see the skyscrapers of the city as your goal for the future or the shantys of the less wealthy that help you gain your profit?

Doesn’t look like a slum, does it?

A designer’s submission as the solution to the Favelas being overcrowded and making better use of the property. Build up not out!

A maze of hope, despair and pride.

Brightening the Future of those living in the Favelas – one building at a time!

Thank you for taking the time to view the beautiful but depressing imagery. The lovely painted facades you saw above sadly came about as  a joke between artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahnbut in the beginning. (“The idea to paint an entire favela started as a joke, but it stuck,” Koolhaas said”) Thankfully their humor translated into a  positive effort to bring some joy to the lives of those living in the “Favelas”. On a side note, why are the lower income housing areas always able to be experimented on?

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