Favela, Rio de Janeiro
I went to the favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
Favela is basically a low-low-low-income area, a ghetto, in Rio de Janeiro. They have over 200,000 people living in these favelas in Rio. And these favelas are sometimes located next to sky-scrapers and mansions, which makes the whole contrast of the situation very clear and absurd.
These pictures are taken from one of the most notorious and famous one, Rocinha. Some people might know the name from the movie City of God. And some scenes were filmed in this same favela.
I took an incredible journey through one of the favelas in Rio. I didn't take as much pictures as I wanted due to security of my camera and well..security of myself, too. I saw a lot of drug dealers and their "muscle" man. I saw guns ( machine guns and pistols ) and that was pretty scary.
It was quite a shock how open the whole thing was there, and the fact that the police doesn't really go there.
Except for the special units. The movie "Tropa de Elite" tells about that, and is in fact a really good Brazilian movie.
The people were poor but they build with what they had and favelas are
famous for their buildings which are narrow and high.
You can move between the houses in these little meter wide paths and
along the paths you can find shops and little bars - all run by fellow
favela citizens.
Comments and faves
joanna maciel ♥, Tolomuco, StocktonSlumDogsss, TomFalconer, and 56 other people added this photo to their favorites.
al_tele (49 months ago | reply)
Like it!
Tolomuco (48 months ago | reply)
really impresive
warr3n_yu (47 months ago | reply)
absolutely breathtaking. city of god was an amazing movie, i take it that you believe the portrayal of the favelas was quite accurate?
dreamindly (47 months ago | reply)
well. I can't really say I am an expert in the matter. But what I saw with my own eyes - yes. It was pretty accurate. I don't know if the violence is that "in your face", but I bet at times it really ha been that bad.
Guns, drugs and people don't make a good combination!
And thank you all for the kind words.
dreamindly (46 months ago | reply)
my first picture to break 1000 views! whoa (:
Lacobrigo (44 months ago | reply)
Impressionante
D e n i s B r i t t o (41 months ago | reply)
Beautifull photo, terrible place to live..
This is braZil...
stefan rohner (38 months ago | reply)
ohhhh sooo cool, "breathtaking"... bla bla bla
dreamindly (38 months ago | reply)
thank you for the comment, Stefan Rohner.
I am not sure are you dissing or not, but:
I know it might sound strange and a cliché that these kind of pictures are "breathtaking" and "amazing". But they are. At least for me, coming from Finland.
stefan rohner (38 months ago | reply)
all the pictures on flickr are "breathtaking" and "amazing".
dreamindly (38 months ago | reply)
I see your point.
well of course that is true in its own way, but I would not go as far as label my photo collection in that "hey I just got a camera and decided to upload the whole memorycard into my flickr. look!" -category.
but thanks for the comments and thoughts - I appreciate any kind of feedback.
maura framrose (28 months ago | reply)
the harsh realities of life oppose the dreamlike quality of sight..
cearamor_eterno (22 months ago | reply)
Hey, how do you feel about sharing your images? I am a student of Brazilian studies and I'm specializing in the favelas. I have spent a lot of time in them and find them beautiful. I would love to hang this image in my room. If you aren't okay with this, I will understand.
ms_jonnes (16 months ago | reply)
belleofblablaland.tumblr.com/post/3362020773/ a-dangerous-...
Read this to find out about my experience in Rochina
amaralis (16 months ago | reply)
MS_JONNES What is this Rochina?? I know a slum in the south called ROCINHA. haahahah kidding!
Patrycia Bryant (11 months ago | reply)
Oh yeah yeah !! this is ONE OF THE THINGS IN BRAZIL BUT THAT'S ALL YOU KNOW OR WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE PLACE ?? THERE IS A LOT OF GREAT THINGS,PEOPLES AND PLACES IN BRAZIL!
dreamindly (11 months ago | reply)
who said this is the only thing I wanted to know about brazil? that's a very odd thing to say. I enjoyed 15 days of what brazil had to offer - this was just one of them. calm down, girl. I saw the "great things, people and places" of brazil, don't get too dramatic :)
stephgum32807 (11 months ago | reply)
I have seen this area. It is south of Rio, just North of the Sheridan Hotel.
It has dirt street.
The people that live there some work in Rio, in the fancy
shops, that are owned mostly by the French People, that live in Rio.
If the person has a problem at work, the French owner, has them killed. The cost is $50.00.
That is the way it is.
pauvillalpando (3 months ago | reply)
Check your inbox! =)