Monday, May 23, 2011

Introducing Shelly Steffler


Shelly (left) with friend Vera Vetter at the top of Rocinha


- Can you tell me your name, where you are from?

My name is Shelly, and I'm from a small town in Canada near Toronto.

- Why did you come to Brasil?

I came to Brasil to do an internship in Human Resources with one of the biggest companies in the country.

- When you arrived where did you live?

I arrived in August 2010 and spent the first month and a half in a hotel in Copacabana. Afterwards, I moved to Barra (a very wealthy, American-style suburb not far from Rocinha) to be closer to work.

- How did you find out about favelas?

I knew about favelas from watchttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhing City of God, but one of my coworkers from Canada was really interested in them and invited me to do a tour of Rocinha with Zezinho. I was really nervous, and wanted to leave my backpack at work - my friend told me 'Shelly, if this backpack was full of gold, I'd feel fine walking with it in Rocinha.'

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?

Zezinho introduced me to people in the community while we were on the tour, and because they knew I was so interested in volunteering, they offered to show me around again. I started teaching English and making friends, and soon, I was spending most of my free time in Rocinha.

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas?

I was living in Rio for a few months before I moved to Rocinha, so I knew that favelas didn't deserve the generic 'they're dangerous! Don't go!' warnings that many Brazilians tend to give. I knew they had a rich cultural life and lots of activity, and that most people were not involved with the drug trafficking.

- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much?

I thought there would be a lot more fear, but people talk openly about the problems related to drug trafficers and take police invasions in stride. I initially didn't wander far from the main road, so I thought that people in Rocinha were fairly well-off. I've since been to the poorest areas of the favela, and I now know that quality of life varies a lot.

- What do you like about living in the favela?

I like that there's always someone to talk to, and that it really is a community - people know their neighbours. I like that people are honest and real.

- What don’t you like?

No one likes the garbage! But in addition to that, I don't like that kids, in particular, are exposed to drugs and violence, and that there are so few opportunities for people from favelas.

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?

Although there are many people from Rocinha getting busaries and going to school, running engaging projects, and trying to better themselves, I feel like there's a bit of a culture of apathy in Rio in general - for example, the politians are all corrupt, so it doesn't matter who you vote for. There might not be a lot of opportunities, but there are some, and people don't always take advantage of them.

- Has your experience been worthwhile?

One of the best of my life!

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?

Learn some Portuguese before you go!! Be prepared for annoyances - your cell phone might or might not work, your water might run out, and you'll probably need to lug gas for your stove to your house. Oh, and buy bottled water - lots of Brazilians drink from the tap, but our stomachs aren't used to their water.

- Would you come back to live here again?

Definately.

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?

Don't pass up an opportunity!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Christian Dugdale's Rocinha Experience




Christian on my Roof top in Rocinha

Christian had contacted me sometime ago about wanting to live in Rocinha. He had been working in other favelas as a volunteer so living here would not be a shock to him. I am so happy that he has written so much about his experience here in Rocinha. I know he misses Rocinha very much and tells me often how he wants to return here to stay. Rocinha does that to people. Rocinha is like a mother that cares for its young. And I dont know why but foreigners come with no prejudice and get the most out of learning about the culture and life here in the favela. Enjoy!!

- Can you tell me your name, where you are from?

Christian Dugdale. I'm from Britain.

- Why did you come to Brasil?

It was my dream to visit Rio de Janeiro. Then I visited, and decided I had to go back for longer. I spent 15 years daydreaming about Rio before I went.

- When you arrived where did you live?

I initally stayed with a friend's parent in Botafogo.

- How did you find out about favelas?

I first saw a favela on television when I was about 11, on a British TV programme called Network 7. It was amazing to see a vertical city on the side of a mountain. I remember that I was immediately fascinated by what I saw.

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?

I actually ran short of money after deciding to extend my stay from 3 to 6 months in Rio. I moved because I couldn't afford Copacabana anymore. I was happy to be doing it though, I had spent time in other favelas and enjoyed it.

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas?

I'd done all the research I possibly could because I was so interested in favelas and Rio in general. So I did have a pretty good idea of what it was like, but it would be arrogant to say that I knew what living there was like. That wouldn't be entirely true.

- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much?

I guess so. I mean, I came into the experience with an open mind hoping to enjoy it, so it wasn't like I arrived a skeptic and went home a convert. I was amazed by how much I enjoyed day to day favela culture and just being there though. I knew I would find it interesting, but I was genuinely gutted when I had to leave. Rocinha became my favourite place in the city. I hadn't expected that.

- What do you like about living in the favela?

I love the fact that the favela is about human interaction, that you really get involved in a world that is different to your own. It's a place where you see the bare bones of humanity, for all of its faults and all of its positives. Just watching people, talking to people and being in a place that was so vibrant. I often used to think to myself "I'm alive, I'm alive " over and over again as I walked around. I don't know if that sounds either stupid or pretentious but it's true.

There may be a distinction between Rocinha and other favelas here, because Rocinha does seem to be a fast moving place than some of the others I visited. Some of them are sleepier and quietier than you'd think. Also, just like that little boy who saw TV all those years ago, I couldn't get over the aesthetic of the place. The impossible Escher drawing stairways, the vertically stacked houses, the views of Rio, the winding roads, the sight of the lights of ten thousand houses lit up at night like a beautiful constellation of stars. My breath was taken away so frequently I could hardly breath some days. I loved the way people danced and congregated in stairways at nights. The baile funk parties and the whole culture that surrounded the music, the way that once you were accepted that people really took you under their wing. The look on children's faces when you told them that you came from another country and the way they wanted to ask you a million questions about it. I mean there's a million more things, but that's what comes to mind to start with.

- What don’t you like?

I understand that people don't like the police in the favela. If I was them I wouldn't either. However, the absence of an honest and effective police service does not mean that having de-facto armed dictatorship running your community is a good thing. It isn't. I think its a tragedy that so many kids in Rio in an environment where guns are normal. Unfortunately, I'm not smart enough to come up with the solution to this issue. I can only criticise. That's not perfect I know.

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?

As I've just said, I wish the favela could be a place free of guns. I wish it could be a place where everyone in Rio, especially cariocas, would want to visit. Finally, I wish something could be done quickly to improve sanitation for residents there.

- Has your experience been worthwhile?

Quite simply, living in Rocinha is the best thing I've ever done in my whole life. I want to live in Rio, and if I get my way I will in the future. I would love to live in Rocinha again. It's absolutely freaking brilliant despite its problems. BRILLIANT.

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?

Do your research, find a contact in the favela to help you visit and take a look first. Then definitely do it.

- Would you come back to live here again?

Yes x 1000. See above.

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?

Rocinha is an extraordinary place. It's not just a slum.It's an amazing city grafted onto the the side of a mountain, with its own culture, music, rhythm, sounds and atmosphere. When you stand on a roof terrace of someone's house in Rocinha at night, you realise that that the rest of the world is missing out on something they think they don't want to see. Look out over the unbelievable sight of the hundreds of houses as they tumble down Rocinha's tropical slopes towards the Atlantic Ocean and tell me you don't feel anything. YOU CAN'T.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Seana in Rocinha


Seana with one of the kids from Rocinha


Its rare when you meet somebody who truely has a love and passion for a place. I remember one of the lasts days before Seana had to leave and it was so sad. I know she did not want to leave Rocinha. As she says, Rocinha stole some of her heart. She fell in love with the place and people and this is not the first time I have heard this. And I know it will not be the last. I know if it came to it, she could easily live here. She made so many friends who ended up like family for her.

I first had contact with her a few years ago when she contacted me about coming to Rocinha for her school project. She was studying funk music from the favelas. I remember sending her some and her interest in Rocinha became stronger. The one day she sent me a email telling me she was coming. It was so nice to put a face to the emails. She is so sweet, kind and always has a smile on her face..

So, now she is RETURNING in the begining of June. So, I will see her again. I know she is soooo happy to be coming back and I look forwards to her return. But heres a interview I did with her. She is sharing her experiences of favela life.

Enjoy!!!

~Zezinho


- Can you tell me your name, where you are from?



My name is Seana. I am from Florida, U.S.A.

- Why did you come to Brasil?


I came to Brazil because I study Brazilian funk music from the favelas in Rio de Janeiro.



- When you arrived where did you live?


I wanted to stay in Rocinha my first trip to Brazil. But I had a difficult time finding housing there without knowing people there. When I arrived, I stayed in a woman’s apartment in Copacabana where a friend of mine was living.



- How did you find out about favelas?


I have studies the social relations that exist in the favelas in Rio for the last 6 years. I found out about them from studying about street children in Brazil.


- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?

I wanted to move to Rocinha because I study the music there and want to be as close as possible. I decided to move to Rocinha because I feel safer there than anywhere else in Brazil. There is a sense of community like I have never felt anywhere else. People are warm and welcoming.




- Before moving here what did you know about favelas?


I knew that the favelas are a place where drug traffickers control the communities and police invasions occur. I also knew that there is a lot more to favela life. 



- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much?


They have not changed too much, since I tried to learn as much as possible in the years leading up to my first visit, but I never could have imagined the safety I felt while there or the carinho, or affection that I was shown by the people who live there.



- What do you like about living in the favela?


Everything. Rocinha is the kind of place that steals your heart. When I had to leave Rocinha, I would feel the physical absence, a love sickness perhaps, as if I had left someone behind who should be with me at all times. That feeling has never gone away. Even when I had to return to the U.S., my friends claimed that they lost a piece of me to Rocinha.



- What don’t you like?


There is nothing that I do not like about the favela. Life there is what it is. I feel like the benefits of living there outweigh things that might irritate some people. Water use that cuts the power, cold showers, or dog feces in the alleys. 



-If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?



I would change the amount of violence people suffer—the (police) raids, the strip searches, etc.


- Has your experience been worthwhile?

Absolutely. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?


Learn about the culture of the favela and learn to respect it. Being in a favela is not about having an exciting time living in a “dangerous,” “poor,” or “violent” community. It is not something to do to have a story to tell. I believe it is a place where people should live if they are knowledgeable about the culture and respect that exists in the community. They should be willing to learn about and participate in this culture in the same manner that a favela community member would.



- Would you come back to live here again?


Always.

Seana