Articles written by Itamar Silva:
Tourism in the Favelas: What About the Residents?
Jan 31st
Click here for original Portuguese Opinion piece by Itamar Silva in O Dia.
It is hard to contain water flowing downwards, smoke rising, and the tourist invasion of pacified favelas. Something must be done to prevent the positivity of the moment from turning into “communities just for show.” The pacified favelas have become targeted by a consumer’s lust seldom seen in Rio de Janeiro. From the moment the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) installed themselves, in some favelas it is like a new sarcophagus of Tutankamon, the Egyptian pharaoh, has been discovered. A legion of tourists, researchers, business men, and marketers ‘discovered’ the favelas.
During its almost More >
Eviction in Santa Marta: Residents at the Summit Organize and Resist
Aug 7th
For original article published in Portuguese click here.
On July 25th, residents living at the summit of the Santa Marta favela, known as “Pico do Morro” (or “Hill’s Peak”), gathered to listen to a presentation by engineer Mauricio Campos dos Santos, discussing the physical geology of where they live.
Resisting for over two years, most residents of Hill’s Peak want to remain in the location where they were born and where they have survived the more difficult moments of favela life. The site hosts one of the most beautiful views in Rio de Janeiro and today is considered a privileged place to live More >
