Rel & Soc Development

Understanding the Brazilian Favelas Students Name: Schools Name: Understanding the Brazilian Favelas Introduction ‘Favela` is a term generally used in Brazil to mean a shanty town. It is a place where former slaves with no land and who had no other option lived. Many Brazilian citizens who were poor were forced out of towns and were forced to live in the suburbs. These towns- referred to as bairros africanos or "African neighbourhoods"-expanded over the years as many black slaves were freed. In the 19th century, due to what was known as rural exodus, many people moved from the rural areas of Brazil to the cities. Since many people couldn`t find a decent place to live in, they ended up in Favelas (Perlman, 2006). The term Favela was coined in the late 1800`s, during that time, veteran soldiers who had served the army in Bahia, were familiar with the Canudos`s Favela Hill -in reference to Favela, a skin irritating tree- and when they settled in the Providence hill in Rio de Janeiro, they nicknamed the place Favela Hill and hence calling a slum Favela for the first time. The Favelas as we know them were formed prior to the dense occupation of cities and the domination of real estate interests. Thesis The characteristic feature of citizens living in the Favelas i.e. the favela of rocinha in Rio de Janeiro is poverty and hunger. The government has failed to call attention to the problems of poverty and make these issues visible on the national political agenda. Brazilian society had, somehow, avoided the subject throughout the 1980s, and at the level of day-to-day perceptions and practices poverty had become a way of life and accepted. Favelas are built around the edge of the main cities, with time, communities form within the favela. In turn, these communities develop an array of social and religious organizations and they form associations so that they can be able to obtain such services as running water and electricity. Drugs and favela have become woven into a social fabric. The drugs business -especially cocaine- cannot prosper without the existence of the Favela. The church therefore has got a big part to play to help curb down this practise. Most of the people living in the Favelas go to church on Sunday and Wednesday, they listen to their pastors more than they listen to the resident associations or their local government outreach workers. The church has helped in building confidence and dignity, and has helped by playing a significant role in stabilizing the poor Favelas. The church members in the Favelas help each other in building houses, starting businesses and taking care of the sick. In some instances, the pastors have helped counsel gang leaders to reduce violence. The church discourages drinking and handling of illegal drugs, therefore it has helped in counselling individuals associated with the vice to cease altogether. The church has definitely helped in a positive way to deal with issues in the Favelas; however, some of the stands that the church takes have seen some of the underlying issues of the Favelas hard to tackle. For instance, the Catholic Church discourages the use of birth control measures. This has seen the population continue to sp...