Archive for December, 2010
A Life in Harmonia
Dec 29th
The backhoe had already worked its way well into Vila Harmonia by the time we arrived, chewing through brick and concrete like it was chalk. There was about the community an air of surreal slowness, with the police, municipal guard, demolition crew and bulldozer sitting in the sun, while only the backhoe worked.
Harmonia is a tiny community at the end of Recreio dos Bandeirantes in the west zone. Squeezed in between an embankment, a field and a canal, it is anchored at one end by the compound of an extended family, who form the heart of the community and minister More >
Truculent Olympics
Dec 27th
Within the past week, the Olympic plan for the city of Rio de Janeiro has revealed a strong ambiguity in the quality of large urban development projects. Investments in public infrastructure, transport and sporting facilities arrive at the same pace as regrettable episodes of basic human rights violations and disrespect for the human condition.
In the West Zone of Rio, since December 15th, horror and tension have characterized the experience of countless families. Reports received from residents, on-lookers and the Public Defenders of Rio de Janeiro detail the abuse of power and state of exception which has been established along the More >
A Walk Through Vila das Torres – Part 1
Dec 27th
Vila das Torres (Towers Village) is a community of about a thousand homes and small businesses in Madureira, a neighborhood in Rio’s north zone. The community stretches down one street, Rua Dr. Cincinato Lopes (though this street name is no longer used), that runs just along the train tracks and connects the streets Rua Soares Caldeira and Rua Bernardino de Andrade. The single row of houses face the train tracks and thus create a sheltered, shaded area for the community. Large, lush, well-kept fields and gardens stretch behind Vila das Torres and separate the community from downtown Madureira.
Rua Soares Caldeira More >
