Favela

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:RiodeJaneiro-Favela.jpg Image:Favela Ben Ateva.jpg

A favela is a Brazilian shantytown or slum, primarily on the hills of Rio de Janeiro. The name comes 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 the hillsides of Rio de Janeiro. The former soldiers used to compare the shanty towns to the favela plant because, just as the thorny plant, there they managed to carve their meagre existences in spite of unfavourable conditions. Over the years, most of the poor population, most of it comprising freed black slaves would move 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 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 are generally started as poorer residents from the countryside come to larger cities in search of work, favelas are unique in that they were created as a 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 recognised as early as 1940.

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. 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.

Shanty towns are units of irregular self-constructed housing that are occupied illegally. They are usually on lands belonging to third parties, and most often located on the urban periphery. Residences are built without a license and with little or no sanitation. Favelas are often characterized by an almost total absence of numbered streets, sanitation networks, electricity, telephone service, or plumbing. Most favelas are inaccessible by vehicles, the houses being randomly built, circulation provided by stairways, passageways or simply tracks.

These areas of irregular and poor quality housing are often crowded onto hillsides. Landslides in such areas, caused primarily by heavy rainfall but worsened by deforestation, are frequent. 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 while inside their own favela. Favelas are often considered a disgrace within Brazil.

People that 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 most well known favelas are those in and around Rio de Janeiro, where 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 elite. Several hills in Rio are heavily occupied 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 Rio's favelas.

São Paulo also has a large number of favelas but there the phenomenon is quite different and is not usually called so. While in Rio favelas are on hillsides, close to (and often in view of) the "good" zones, in São Paulo they are in far suburbs. São Paulo's favelas tend to be also very violent and poor and the general life standard is somewhat even worse than in Rio.

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).

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External links

Pousada Favelinha, A project which enables visitors to stay safely inside a favela in Rio.
Population in Rio´s favelas reaches one million, A translated article from O Globo.
Gringos in the favelas: Foreign young women challenge fear and prejudice to live in the favelas of Rio. “I can feel danger but curiosity is much stronger”, admits Canadian in Rocinha
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.
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