Getting to Know Rocinha

I'm sure everyone is curious about my thoughts on our visit with Zezinho in Rocinha. This week is going to be very difficult to dedicate the time that this kind of post needs. To hold you over until then, I give you two mini-videos of Zezinho giving you some interesting facts about life in Rio's largest favela.

Don't worry, I will soon be busting out a serious post about yesterday's visit, all I saw, and all Zezinho taught us. Tomorrow I will post some choice photos for Wordless Wednesday.

A Força Da Rocinha

This is in Portuguese and sadly I couldn't find it posted with English subtitles. I suppose I could get on that... Anyway, this is a series about life in Rocinha. I like it as it doesn't seem to be the normal report about "suffering" and "poverty" but actually about life and the people who live there. Check it out!

By the way, there are about 6 or 7 parts on youtube. This is only the first one. 

Wordless Wednesday: Favelas

Santa Teresa "occupation" scheduled for Monday

I read on Twitter, via Jornal do Brasil, that the Bope is going to go into Santa Teresa favelas on Monday as part of the plan to take Rio back.  

What's with the warning?  

While people would like to think that drug traffickers aren't sophisticated enough to be following the Jornal do Brasil on Twitter, much less knowing how to use a computer in the first place, it's just not the case. Hell, we all know about the famous trafficker who had a deep respect for the artist known as Justin Bieber.  This only proves that traffickers are crazy people with their fingers in the randomest of pies. 

So why in the hell is the mayor sharing his upcoming plans? Would it not make far more sense for them to keep their mouths shut and, I don't know, sneak in and surprise people?

I think there's one of two options going on here.  First, the Government and traffickers are tired. They just feel it's better to play ball with each other. Government gives them a warning, traffickers run away, government "takes over" the favela, and everyone is happy.  No harm, no shooting. 

The other option is that the Bope is going black ops on our asses and will be sneaking in earlier or later. They will pop in at 1145pm on Sunday night and catch the traffickers unexpectedly. I mean, it would totally work. No one in Brazil shows up early for a party. It would be completely unexpected.  

Honestly though, the real business between the government, police, and traffickers is one we are not privy to. 

Personally, I think they all get together after the fact, drink fresh made Brazilian coffee, do lines of cocaine, and rock out to a little Bieber. 

But what do I know? I'm just one of the little sheep.