What the Favela Is Going On?

Favela, a Brasilian term for shanty town, slum, squatter community or ghetto in major cities. The word ¨favela¨ originates from a rugged, tough plant or shrub tree found in Bahia region in north-east Brasil. Following the Canudos War of 1895-1896,when government soldiers defeated Canudo rebels while living among the Favela trees and then returned to Rio De Janeiro for their payment. However, the 20 000 soldiers did not receive any payment and thus, settled into one of Rio´s hills and renamed it ¨Morro de Favela¨ after the trees they had previouly lived by. The soldiers were never paid and they never left the hills so the first favela originated from these roots. The favelas also grew from freed African slaves who had no land title and lived in these communities. Beginning in 1950s with the urbanization of Brasil and the mass migration from the poor countryside to the cities in search of work, favelas grew. Initially using scrap metal and wood for their lodgings to more permanent cement foundations and walls. By the 1970s, the number and population of favelas exploded but sanitation, electricity, health, schooling and other public services did not extend to these impoverished communities. My previous assumption was wrong about Brasilla which has the largest favela in Brasil. Rio De Janerio has the second largest favela, specifically, Rocinha. There are more than 950 favelas in Rio itself. Currently, 12 million Brasilians live in favelas or 6% of the whole population of Brasil.  

During the military and CIA supported dictatorship in Brasil from 1964-1985, left-wing political prisoners were imprisoned with petty criminals in a prison on llha Grande (an island in south-east Brasil) which led to the formation of the first favela gang in Rio, the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) in 1979. Initially, the group had political ideology (then known as the Red Phalanx) but soon it was based on criminal enterprises. Essentially, the gang promised schools, electricity, water and services and that crimes like rape would not occur in the favelas on the condition its inhabitants looked the other way and kept quiet of the gang´s activities like drug dealing, bank robberies, extortion and kidnappings. There are now two other gangs that control Rio´s favelas, `Friends of Friends´ and  the `Pure Third Command´ and mainly gang wars fought in the 1990´s and early 2000´s. There is believed to be at least 6000 active gang members in Rio. In the last few years, the government has tried to take control some of these favelas through `Police Pacifying Units (UPP)´, following a police helicopter being shot down by the gangs in 2009 and the ensuing street battles over the years between heavily armed police (sometimes up to 3000 members and the use of tanks, armoured vehicles and military helicopters) and gang members. There are currently 39 UPP controlled favelas but the number of favela pacified has stopped as there is no more money and many locals believe this was purely `for show´ for the World Cup and the upcoming Olympics and the government has no real interest in eliminating the gangs as their payoffs are too lucrative. My initial impression of the UPP, were that they do not appear to immerse themselves in the community and did not have the approach of `beat cops´or community policing. The UPP I saw were always in groups of 4-6 in para-military gear carrying machine guns and usually two pistols (one issued and one personal). They did not seem to interact with the community and no one approached them. Except for the badge and police uniform, they looked like another gang.    

Below only to the United States, Brasil is the second most consumer of illicit drugs in the world with a rising middle class and disposable income and neighbouring cocaine producing countries of Columbia, Peru and Boliva (with the ideal higher elevation for the cocoa leaves not found in Brasil) and the number one producer of marijuana in South América, Paraguay. In addition, Brasil is the funnel for the flow of cocaine to Europe using through shipping (illegal cargo) through Morroco and Mauritânia in West África and then onwards to Spain or France. The favelas are only a small trickle of this trade and cater to the domestic drug users. 

You too can own a 2 bedroom apartment in a favela for about $60 000 US overlooking Rio and the Atlantic Ocean as oppose to the same apartment in Ipanema or Lebon for $500 000 to $600 000. Some people including hostel owners and apparently even futebol star, David Beckham have moved into one of the 39 UPP-controlled favelas due to these prices. However, it is still a favela and many gang leaders still live nearby or in the upper sections. There is no guarantee the UPP will remain post-2016 Olympics, You might get a knock on your door one day from a guy with a machne gun demanding your home. Unfortunately, one hostal owner was also recently shot.   

One side effect of UPP control, is that once they move into an area, streets names appear and official address are formed which also means proper electricity bills, taxes, cable bills, sanitation and plumbing and usually at least a 10% increase in rent. Many families simply can not afford this increase and have no choice but to move further out to gang controlled favelas where electricity, cable, internet, water, etc. are siphoned (stolen) off and offered by the gangs at a fraction of the cost. Many public service and construction workers (civil engineers, electricians, plumbers, etc.) come from the favelas and work in the city. So they use their skills in the favela. You will see crazy electrical wiring and building built in top of one another (up tp maximum of five stories), all clinging the side of mountains. One thing I find funny in Rio is that favelas are right next to expensive, gated communities or built right up to a highway and with the most expensive mall in Rio or an exclusive golf course or country club on the other side. The views from the favelas would only be for the rich in many other cities.

A complex urban problem but also shows the resiliency of the human condition to adapt and survive.