A Walk on the Wild Side - Part 2. Walking the favela
We hadn´t planned to take a tour of one of Rio´s favelas. Not through fear, although this was a factor, but because we saw no reason to see the poverty at close quarters. Fear of a guilty conscienmce perhaps. Reading the Lonely Planet changed our minds as responsible tours give back to the community in many ways not least through education.We took a tour of Rocinha, one of Rio´s largest and like many, an area controlled by a drug lord. The public image of the favelas is not good to say the least and yet Christina, our guide assured us that we would be 100% safe within Rocinha as crime is totally prohibited by the drug lord and any acts dealt with severely. Surprising as this first sounded it made perfect sense when Christina explained that the drug gangs wanted as little pólice intereference as possible and also to create a safe environment in which to attract the wealthier classes into the area to buy drugs in confidence. The official figure for Rocinha is a population of 60,000 but this is a massive underestimate. The electricity board estaimates some 127,000 people living in this city-within-a-city and yet even this may be inaccurate judging from the many instances of illegal tapping into the wires, just one example of the local population keeping costs to a minimum in order to survive. The need to do so is perhaps best explained by the contrasts surrounding the favela. Opposite to the entrance to Rocinha is Rio´s most prestigous school, the American School. Here, the monthly fee for pupils is some 4000 Reis, the minimum wage in the favela just 350 Reis per month. With such disparity it is all too easy to understand why children look to drugs as a way to lift themselves out of poverty. To act as a lookout, the lowest rung in the gang hierarchy, brings in 800 Reis a month, way more than the minimum salary. And yet drugs are not the only option and many schemes are now in place to offer children an alternative. We stopped to view the artworks of a number of both children and adults who are encouraged to develop their skills and sell to the turists who visit Rocinha each day. Typically the colourful paintings depict famous Rio views or landmarks such as the Maracana football stadium or the statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corvocado hill. Showing both an inventive as well as creative streak, stylish bags are made from magazines and hats from plastic shopping bags. Not that we would have been any the wiser had we not been told.The very location of Rocinha is staggering in itself. Nestled in amonsgt the Rio hills it is surrounded by remants of the Atlantic rainforest, a serious rival to the Amazon for biodiversity. The views across the city are spectacular and take in Corcovado and the Sugar Loaf. On the hill opposite, one of Rio´s most fabulous homes whose owner has his own private island south of the city and is a world famous surgeon who has operated on Sophia Loren and Jacques Chirrac amongst otherr famous names. He has endeared himself to the people of Rocinha and beyond by performing free operations for the poor each Friday. It is philanthropic acts such as this that provides hope of a better future for the people of Rio´s favelas.Walking the streets we were lucky to hit upon market day and Rocinha was buzzing with produce as varied as you might expect to see at Borough Market on a weekend. The houses look poorly constructed and the wiring positively lehtal yet we were assured that there are no instances of collapsing buildings, fire or any records of electrocution. Indeed, many of the electricians working for the electricity board live in the favelas which would explain the extensive wiring that is everywhere.Amongst the impression of close cooperation, the emphasis on a crime free favela and the communty projects springing up the problems that a favela like Rocinha faces should still be highlighted. They receive hostile press, strike fear into the hearts of most Brazillians who wil not venture inside and receive little help form politicians who ignore the poverty and are either unwilling or unable to tackle the powerful drug lords. The drug lords themselves are part of the vicious circle. Few last long, sometimes only days and the average life expectancy for somebody involved with a gang is 30 we were told. Later we visited a much smaller favela called Para Ti numbering a mere 2,500. Here we visited a community school partly funded by the money we paid to take the tour. It has 80 attendees, 40 in the morning and 40 in the afternoon and amongst other features it has 8 computers with free internet access and also produces its own handicrafts which it sells to visitors.Taking a short 3 hour tour may only provide a limited insight and it certainly does not give a full comprehension of the difficulties the inhabitants of a favela face. But it does break down illusions, false assumptions and fear that bad press creates for the favelas. The tour was certainly one of the highlights of our trip so far. Mike