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A favela, picture by Ben AtevaFavela is a term commonly used in Brazil to describe areas such as shanty towns or slums. The term favela comes from a species of plants that often grows in the hillside of Rio de Janeiro, where freed slaves first established a community of squatters in the 1890s.
A favela is fundamentally different from a slum or tenement, primarily in terms of its origin and location. While slum quarters in other Latin American countries are generally started as poorer residents from the countryside come to larger cities in search of work, favelas are unique in that they were created as a large population becomes displaced.
It is generally agreed upon that the first favela was created in November 1897 when 20,000 veteran soldiers were brought to Rio de Janeiro and left with no place to live. Some of the older favelas were originally started as quilombos (independent towns for refugee African slaves) among the hilly terrain of the area surrounding Rio, which later grew as slaves were liberated in 1888 with no place to live. Most of the current favelas began in the 1970s, as a construction boom in the richer neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro initiated a rural exodus of workers from poorer states in Brazil. Heavy flooding in the low-lying slum areas of Rio also forcibly removed a large population into favelas, which are mostly located on Rio's various hillsides. Since favelas have been created under different terms but with similar end results, the term favela has become generally interchangeable with any impoverished areas.
Shanty towns are units of irregular self-constructed housing that are occupied illegally. They are usually on lands belonging to third parties, and most often located on the urban periphery. Residences are built without a license and with little or no sanitation. Favelas are often characterized by an almost total absence of numbered streets, sanitation networks, electricity, telephone service, or plumbing.
These areas of irregular and poor quality housing are often crowded onto hillsides. Accidents in such areas, caused primarily by heavy rainfall, are frequent. Favelas are often troubled by drugelated crime and gang warfare. There are rumors that common social codes in favelas forbid residents from engaging in criminal activity while inside their own favela. Favelas are often considered a disgrace within Brazil.
People that live in favelas, known as favelados, are often very poor. Many live below the poverty line on less than 100 US$ per month. Brazil's favelas can be seen as a consequence of the unequal distribution of wealth in the country.
The most famous favelas are those in and around Rio de Janeiro, where they provide a dramatic illustration of the gap between poverty and wealth, positioned side-by-side with the luxurious apartment buildings and mansions of Rio's elite. Several hills in Rio are plastered with favelas. In 2004, it was estimated that 30% of Rio's population lives within favelas. São Paulo also has a large number of favelas.
The 2002 film City of God placed a spotlight on favelas, chronicling the cycle of poverty, violence, and despair in a Rio de Janeiro slum.
See also
External links
- Pousada Favelinha, A project which enables visitors to stay safely inside a favela in Rio.
- Population in Rio´s favelas reaches one million, A translated article from O Globo.
- Squattercity, a blog manned by a writer who spent time in Rocinha, the largest and most urbanized favela in Rio de Janeiro, plus other squatter communities around the world.
- Radio Favela, a community radio broadcasting from inside a favela located in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais)
- Favela Tours - a review of the favela tourism industry
References
- "Favelas commemorate 100 years." Accessed July 10, 2005.