Favela

A favela currently indicates the Bidonville S Brésil iens. They are districts located on illegally occupied grounds, generally unhealthy (marshes, steep slopes of the hills), and whose dwellings are built with materials of recovery. The most known and widest are in the town of Rio de Janeiro, which in account nearly 800 and gathers one the third of the urban population.

History

The origin of the name favela as popular place of dwelling appeared after the Guerre of Canudos to the Brésil, when the soldiers, installed on a morro (hill) of this area, the Morro da Favela called thus because of the great quantity of the plant Favela ( Jatropha phyllacantha ; family of the Euphorbiacée S), while turning over to Rio de Janeiro, were installed with their families on the Morro da Providência . In remembering the events marking that they had just lived, they named it name of their old place of warlike stay of the State of Bahia. The name became a current synonym of poor districts starting from 1909.

Current location

The difficulties of the favelas are numerous:

  • lack of infrastructures (sewers for example)
  • misery
  • violence: the gangs of drug are made the war in the streets
  • illegal traffics of drug, of rifles of attack AK 47…

In Rio, the inhabitants oppose the favelas to the “asphalt”, which indicates the easy districts or of middle-classes. Certain hotels propose a turn guided with the favela of Rocinha, which was visited in its time by the pope Jean-Paul II.

It is however important to recall that a majority of cariocas living in the favelas are " people; ordinaires" who do not have any complicity with the Maffias. Much of them has a work, like bus driver, cleaning lady, of taxi, driver for tourist transport… and even of the police officers, therefore it should not be forgotten that they are poor people, and not only of the gangsters, whose leader chiefs live for their part in “asphalt”… It is important to as recall as it is disadvised walking in these districts without being well accompanied.

The made dwellings of paperboards or materials found by the inhabitants of the favelas , are not soundproofed and one can hear all that occurs in the neighborhoods.

For a few years, turns operators have organized guided visits of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. The request relates to 5% of the tourists who come to visit the city.

See too

Bond external

  • , Chantal Rayes, “the “favela turns” makes fury in Rio” in Libération of the 8/26/2006,
  • - RadioFavela - The Sound off Rio, an English podcast on the relation between architecture and communication (ar2com) with x-ray on the cultural production of the favelas and the consequences in town planning and architecture with Rio de Janeiro.

In report/ratio

  • the City of God (film) Film of Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund recalling the life of a young person in a favela of Rio de Janeiro

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