The Hidden City in Rio de Janeiro (a City Within a City)
 |
| An image of Complexo de Alemao from the gondola lift |
It is not until I was able to step into a favela that I understand why many textbooks refers to it as a crowded and dense community. Exactly seven days after I arrived, I visited a Favela, and not any favela, the most dangerous favela in Rio de Janeiro—Morro de Alemão.
This blogpost is about the day I spent in a favela with the help of professor Vianna's colleague and her graduated student from the Universidade Do Brazil who served as guides to a trip in a community with an estimated population of 70,000* which is far from reality since this community is way bigger.
We started at Bonsucesso station, the first station that connects to the subway and bus, there we took the gondola lift to the last station—Palmeira station. We met Thiago Mationilli at Bonsucesso station who is currently working in Institute Raizes em Movimiento a non-governmental organization (NGO) to beautify the favelas and specially Complexo de Alemão. This NGO focus in human rights creating social movements, public debates and art around Complexo de Alemão showing to the people of Rio that a favela is also part of Brazil since staying at Copacabana a favela felt like a shame to the upper class in Rio.
In one of the stations we met Renato Tutsis who also work with Institute Raizes em Movimiento as an artist. It took us about twenty-five minutes to get to Palmeira. It was also pretty hot and the small ventilation in the lift air barely enter so it felt like forever to get to Palmeira Station. On the way there Thiago told us that the current gondola lift is in a bureaucracy problem where no one wants to take over it. This problem started since the gondola lift opened in 2011 where originally residents needed to pay R$1 per trip and was managed by Odebrecht TransPort. According to this article Cable Car is Still a Source of Controversy by Viva Favela, The gondola lift did not reach its maximum capacity of 30,000 people per day since opened in 2011. Estimated that only 17% of the local population (Complexo the Alemão community) use this type of transportation and demonstrating that the other 83% use other mean of transport. The lift can take up to ten people however in business hours it takes eight or less. Since, the gondola lifts is has been barely used Odebrecht left and today, the gondola lift is free, but since no one wants to take over, it has raised the question of how the gondola lift will be maintain?
Gondola lift was part of the project of State Governor Sergio Cabral Filho to provide access to the favela community in a project that cost R$210 Millions (Approximately US$70 Millions). However, Thiago said that the gondola lift is barely used by the people of the community, and it has served to a very limited area since Complexo de Alemão is a very dense community.
Rio tried to recreated what Medellin, Colombia (Considered the most innovated city in the world) did with their gondola lift system constructed in the poorest neighborhood and becoming the first metro cable to be used as public transportation. The Medellin's metro cable has shaped the community by creating around its stations civic spaces, libraries, schools, parks, health care center and art galleries which have created a positive social impact and dramatic reduced crime. However, Rio did not recreated that.
In fact, they build Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) next to every station. According to Patricia Sedin, the UPP is a program created in 2008 in the state of Rio to reclaim territories previously controlled by gangs of drug dealers. UPPs are established after the territory is "pacified" and the BOPE, Rio's elite police force, has left. Pacification doesn't always happen smoothly. The Complexo do Alemão has probably seen one of the fiercest.
The cable car have become an attraction for the tourist who are visiting Rio. Tourist can mean economic benefits, social benefits and social pressure to maintain and improve the community. However, According to Viva Favela, residents of Complexo the Alemão brings up that gondola lifts represents loss of privacy for inhabitants since “With the gondolas over their homes, residents have become the target of the curiosity of strangers.”.
This blogpost is about the day I spent in a favela with the help of professor Vianna's colleague and her graduated student from the Universidade Do Brazil who served as guides to a trip in a community with an estimated population of 70,000* which is far from reality since this community is way bigger.
A failed replica of the Medellin gondola lift system and a community that feel hidden.
We started at Bonsucesso station, the first station that connects to the subway and bus, there we took the gondola lift to the last station—Palmeira station. We met Thiago Mationilli at Bonsucesso station who is currently working in Institute Raizes em Movimiento a non-governmental organization (NGO) to beautify the favelas and specially Complexo de Alemão. This NGO focus in human rights creating social movements, public debates and art around Complexo de Alemão showing to the people of Rio that a favela is also part of Brazil since staying at Copacabana a favela felt like a shame to the upper class in Rio.
 |
| Complexo de Alemao from the gondola lift |
 |
| Houses seen from the gondola lifts |
Rio tried to recreated what Medellin, Colombia (Considered the most innovated city in the world) did with their gondola lift system constructed in the poorest neighborhood and becoming the first metro cable to be used as public transportation. The Medellin's metro cable has shaped the community by creating around its stations civic spaces, libraries, schools, parks, health care center and art galleries which have created a positive social impact and dramatic reduced crime. However, Rio did not recreated that.
 |
| The Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) photo taken from the gondola lift |
The cable car have become an attraction for the tourist who are visiting Rio. Tourist can mean economic benefits, social benefits and social pressure to maintain and improve the community. However, According to Viva Favela, residents of Complexo the Alemão brings up that gondola lifts represents loss of privacy for inhabitants since “With the gondolas over their homes, residents have become the target of the curiosity of strangers.”.
 |
| Walking in the street of Complexo de Alemao |
It felt hidden, the whole trip to Complexo de Alemão was like going to a secret city. I got mixed feelings since I am from Colombia and the poverty that Rio has is similar to the poverty in my home country, yet extremely different to the poverty in the US. However, I still felt like an outsider and being in the gondola lift felt like looking at a 'poverty show' from up.
The further we were going in the gondola lift the more and more hidden I felt this community is from the rest of Rio. When I got off at the Palmeira Station, I met a Brooklyn young man who teaches English in another station of the lift. He said that it was the first time seeing New Yorkers in the Favela. I was shocked because I realized that tourists are taking the lift, but they are never getting off or exploring a favela. Perhaps tourist are afraid because all the other people in Rio are telling them what I heard "This is a dangerous place" and indeed it is. However, it never hurts to visit and help or contacting an NGO who works directly with the community.
For more Information:
Cable Car is Still a Source of Controversy by Viva Favela/Rio Watch/ January 3rd, 2014
The Multipurpose Cable Car of Rio's Largest Favela by Patricia Sendin/Patricia Sendin/ January 30th, 2014
Medellin too safe for dangerous city ranking/Adriaan Alsema/ January 27th, 2016
Notes:
"Favela" is a term used by non-residents. The favela dwellers call it "community".
*Demographics by the Instituto Pereira Passos
 An image of Complexo de Alemao from the gondola lift It is not until I was ...){kind=link}
0 Comments:
Post a Comment