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The 2/3 series on Rio's transformation. I'm lucky to have met one of the residents in Mage while I was working a unpacified favela and to pass his story to the Lulu, the NPR reporter, which eventually became the main issue of this piece. Pacification in the city of Rio is an ambitious project that challenges communites and the state to change in ways they haven't in decades. Trust is a fragile virture.
Criminals Fleeing Rio Crackdown Set Up Shop In The Suburbs
January summer sea in Rio.
I live in Ipanema, a neighborhood under favela Cantagalo. Weekend nights are busy. Through my window the sounds of baile funk music til 3am, fireworks, and people talking echo off the granite hillside and concrete apartment buildings. The weeknights are sometimes so quiet i often wonder what is wrong. why so quiet! When i first arrived to Rio, I took a walk up to this community high above the apartment building where i live. I took the elevator up what felt like 100 feet high above and held my breath as I quickly hurried across the walkway bridge to the community on the morro (hill). I didn't get very far when I saw these boys...inquisitively tough and sweet; a close knit of friends and family. A stark contrast to the wealthiest neighborhoods in all the city that lies below them. They are the lights that twinkle bright on the morro.
Part 1/3 of a series on the effects of pacification in Rio de Janeiro, this story focuses on the urban development within the Rio's South Zone favelas - (to note: favelas nowadays are far more developed then shantytowns or slums).
Lots of great gems in these communities! Some of the best homemade and best priced meals are in the favelas. And some communities have million dollar views of the South Zone - the wealthiest and most touristy area of Rio de Janeiro.
To view slideshow of pictures and read story:
Once Unsafe, Rio's Shantytowns See Rapid Gentrification by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro.
Outtakes: