Day 18: Favela

Day 18: Favela

Today was the first day we actually went into the favela. We have been around it a lot, but never actually inside of it. The favela is a Brazilian slum. The homes are shacks made out of brick and scraps of metal and spare materials. They are painted brightly to seem less depressing to the people who live there and those who are “visiting.” I put the word visiting in quotations because people are not really allowed to visit the favelas.

They are closed off communities, who only like and trust their own. We are outsiders, and they see us as intruders. Yet, because we had Carbonel and the other guys from CCJ, we were not harassed or mugged. We had the community’s approval, because someone from the community said we were trust worthy. I would never recommend anyone going into the favela without the permission of people from the favelas.

When we got there we split into groups and started painting some homes. The home we painted belonged to a woman named Sonya. She was excited that we were painting her house. We painted the whole thing blue, and on one wall we painted the sea, and on the other wall there was graffiti. This may seem strange, but she was truly happy that we graffitied her home. She even went and put on a nice dress so that she could take pictures with us.

It was not that the art work was spectacular, because it wasn’t; it was just some small gesture to brighten up someone’s day. I am glad I was able to contribute to Sonya being proud of her home. She has no running water, and her sewage run along the outside walls of her home, but she was happy because blue is her favorite color.