Available languages:

The Reality of Favelas. No Solution?

As someone who lived in Brazil for six years, although fortunately that was not my own reality, I know better than most foreigners the scale and the characteristics of the favela or slum situation currently facing the country.

I am horrified every time reports appear in the media of tourists (Germans, Belgians, Americans…) visiting a favela in Rio as if it were a human safari, taking photos of the misery and enjoying the catastrophe. Some people might think that, at least, it is economically beneficial for the neighbourhood, and that these people are spending this money in the area and not somewhere else, but for me, it is morally problematic. Favelas should be something fix, not to enjoy.

Read More