{"id":70152,"date":"2022-04-30T09:14:08","date_gmt":"2022-04-30T12:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=70152"},"modified":"2024-09-05T11:19:56","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T14:19:56","slug":"best-and-worst-international-reporting-on-rios-favelas-2021-editorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=70152","title":{"rendered":"Best and Worst International Reporting on Rio\u2019s Favelas: 2021 [EDITORIAL]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This is the latest contribution to our media watchdog series on the\u00a0Best and Worst International Reporting on Rio\u2019s favelas<\/a>, part of\u00a0<\/em>RioOnWatch\u2019s ongoing conversation on the\u00a0media narrative<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0media portrayal<\/a>\u00a0surrounding favelas.<\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction to the 2021 Edition<\/h3>\n

2021 was a unique year, including in its headlines. Still reeling from the novelty of the coronavirus pandemic, the world sought to adapt to its consequences as the crisis entered its second year. Unprepared for the devastating effects of an unknown virus and its <\/span>criminal mismanagement by the government<\/span><\/a>, Brazil saw the return of hunger, poverty, and widespread unemployment in the worst economic crisis of the last 20 years. Amid the echoes of familiar woes, favela residents had a glimmer of hope that their daily lives would be exempted from constant conflict in their territories, a hope kindled by the Brazilian Supreme Court\u2019s August 2020 ruling that suspended police operations in favelas during the pandemic and led to dramatic reductions in violence. This hope was quickly slashed, however, by the police\u2019s blatant disregard to what has become known as the ADPF of the Favelas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Such events are newsworthy and need to be publicized. It is, however, the way in which they reach the public that continues to be a concern and, once again, the main finding of this yearly column<\/a>. Tired of a coverage deemed, at times, <\/span>offensive, inaccurate or plainly false<\/span><\/a>, favela residents have increasingly organized to dispute information production, reclaiming the narrative of their territories and bodies. The growth and empowerment of grassroots journalism is made evident through the recognition of projects such as our very own multiple<\/a> award-winning<\/a> Rooting Anti-racism in the Favelas<\/span><\/i><\/a>. It is a consensus that a <\/span>narrative shift<\/span><\/a> is necessary to change reality and influence public policy, making it crucial that information about favelas is designed, produced, and discussed by residents as well as outsiders in dialogue with them. In a context in which public officials systematically choose to maintain these territories and their residents underserved, the role of international media should be increasingly <\/span>to share favela solutions<\/a> and raise awareness of the <\/span>crises favelas have been facing<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Mar\u00e9<\/a><\/p>\n

The Pandemic in the Favelas According to the Year\u2019s Best International Articles<\/h3>\n

It has never been easy to be a favela resident, but while the economy shut down, <\/span>government neglect<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>unemployment<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>death<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>hunger<\/span><\/a> set the tone. <\/span>The number of daily meals eaten by favela residents dropped from an average of 2.4 in August 2020 to 1.9 in February 2021. <\/span>ABC News<\/em> released an article<\/span><\/a> publicizing data from research conducted by <\/span>the <\/span>Favela<\/span> Data Institute<\/span>, a partnership between the Central \u00danica das Favelas (<\/span>CUFA<\/span>), and <\/span>Instituto Locomotiva<\/span> highlighting a critical scenario: 68% of favela residents declared they had problems securing food<\/a> for at least a day, one or two weeks prior to the research.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
“Look at the Hunger” campaign graph shows increase of food insecurity in the country during the coronavirus pandemic. Key: green: food security; yellow: food insecurity; blue: moderate food insecurity; red: severe food insecurity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With staggering inflation, buying power dropped across the spectrum, impacting working-class families more than ever before in this century. In 2021, 71% of favela families lived on half of their pre-pandemic family budgets in territories where 93% of the population have no savings at all. If most favela residents don\u2019t work, they cannot eat in the short term. This impacts greatly on the quantity and quality of food a family consumes.<\/span><\/p>\n

An <\/span>article published in<\/span> B<\/span>orgen <\/span><\/em>magazine<\/span><\/a> described how it was <\/span>mostly local NGOs that had to step in<\/span><\/a> to prevent favela residents from starving during the Covid-associated economic shutdown. Three other publications showed how favela urban farming initiatives ensured healthy food on the table for residents: <\/span>one by <\/span><\/a>Al Jazeera<\/span><\/a><\/em>, on a <\/span>Manguinhos project <\/span><\/a>\u00a0that established the <\/span>biggest urban vegetable garden in Latin America, as reported by Reuters<\/em><\/span><\/a>, and another <\/span>by Sproutwired<\/em><\/span><\/a> on an organization called <\/span>Horta Agrofavella<\/span><\/a>, in <\/span>Heli\u00f3polis<\/span><\/a>, S\u00e3o Paulo’s largest favela. All three articles emphasize the resilience and self-reliance of favelas. For the most part, <\/span>favelas saved themselves<\/span><\/a> from starvation during the coronavirus pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Community<\/a><\/p>\n

Although <\/span>food insecurity<\/span><\/a> has been the norm, with hunger and poverty during Covid-19 traceable to President Bolsonaro\u2019s <\/span>denialism<\/span><\/a> and inaction, as depicted by a <\/span>series of articles by the<\/span><\/a> BBC<\/span><\/a><\/em>, favelas have held their own. Holding protests screaming the now famous motto \u201c<\/span>Not from gunshots, Covid, or hunger! Black people want to live!<\/span><\/a>\u201d, favela residents rose up against the<\/span> federal government blatantly leaving people to fight for their own survival, through self-organization and collective strength. <\/span>As described by Reuters<\/em><\/span><\/a>, many favela residents relied heavily on food parcel donations, with research showing that <\/span>favelas themselves helped and donated more<\/span><\/a> than the residents of the formal city. In other words: most of the help favela residents got came from their neighbors and other favela residents. This <\/span>\u201c<\/span>by us for us<\/span><\/a>\u201d survival strategy <\/span>reached CGTN<\/em><\/span><\/a>\u00a0in 2021 through the story of community leader Thiago Firmino’s commitment to personally disinfect the alleys and staircases of his community, favela Santa Marta, in Rio’s South Zone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the <\/span>government did not produce data<\/span><\/a> specifically about favelas on infection rates, vaccination, or testing. Consequently (not coincidentally) it did not provide the means for effective social distancing or hospital assistance w<\/span>hen needed. Nor was correct guidance offered, <\/span>as <\/span><\/a>NPR<\/span><\/a><\/em> put it<\/span><\/a>: the government\u2019s main strategy was a cocktail of <\/span>unproven drugs<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Not<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2021, favela initiatives against Bolsonaro\u2019s necropolitical tactics took newsstands globally. The <\/span>Covid-19 in Favelas Unified Dashboard<\/span><\/a>*, for example, was <\/span>mentioned by <\/span><\/a>Reuters<\/span><\/a><\/em> and by <\/span>Global Americans<\/span><\/a><\/em> as a community-based solution for the chronic <\/span>underreporting<\/span> brought on by government neglect.<\/span><\/p>\n

With all of this, President Jair Bolsonaro saw his popularity rates drop to the lowest levels since his inauguration on January 1, 2019. By November 2021, his approval ratings had slipped to a record low of 19% while his disapproval levels reached 56% in the same month, <\/span>as reported by Time<\/em> magazine<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>The Brazilian Report<\/span><\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quality International Reporting on the Jacarezinho Massacre and Security Policy<\/h3>\n

The month of May began with what has become known as the deadliest police operation in a favela in all of Rio\u2019s history: <\/span>the Jacarezinho massacre<\/span><\/a>. Some of the material published about the massacre in international media was well done, detailed and analytical, often offering in-depth personal accounts that sought to denaturalize Brazil\u2019s structural racism and its consequent ingrained racial violence. Such was the case of a <\/span>Washington Post<\/em> photojournalistic piece that exposed<\/span><\/a> the violent and illegal pattern of Rio de Janeiro Military Police actions during the massacre. <\/span>La Prensa Latina<\/span><\/a><\/em> portrayed<\/span><\/a> the social acceptance of the inhumanity of deadly police operations, fueled by President Bolsonaro and Rio de Janeiro Governor Cl\u00e1udio Castro\u2019s full support of police brutality and killings. This option for violence was <\/span>highlighted by<\/span><\/a> The Guardian<\/span><\/a><\/em> as an underlying reason for the ongoing carnage that has been taking the lives of mostly black favela residents. For some, this episode in Jacarezinho was the last straw and, as <\/span>stated on<\/span><\/a> France 24<\/span><\/a><\/em>, sparks an urgent call for change.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a <\/span>Guardian<\/em> podcast<\/span><\/a>, Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips described Jacarezinho as a one-hundred-year-old vibrant Afro-Brazilian community and a historic industrial hub. Visiting the favela the day after the 28 killings, Phillips talked to residents and, giving a detailed account of the massacre, described what he saw as a witch hunt. \u201cNot accused of anything\u2026 If you are a young black man, your chance of being shot [out here] is very high.\u201d He traced this widespread violence back 500 years, reflecting the blunt legacy of African and Afro-Brazilians slavery in Brazil. He says that he walked south-to-north, from the river towards the Jacarezinho samba school, talking to locals. The journalist witnessed residents protesting and mourning their loved ones. Some of the dead were adamantly defended by relatives and unrelated residents as innocent, victims of indiscriminate police action. Phillips firmly questioned why alleged criminals were sieged and killed rather than arrested, as the law dictates must be done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe official narrative on day one was that police were carrying out an operation to counter the involvement of kids and teenagers in drug gangs. Well, kids and teens have unfortunately been involved in drug gangs for decades. So, quite why it was necessary to do that kind of operation based on that right now, I don\u2019t know… After the police officer was killed in the opening minutes of the operation [at around 6am], some of the police officers began rampaging across this favela: what local activists call \u2018opera\u00e7\u00e3o vingan\u00e7a\u2019 (operation revenge) whereby angry heavily-armed cops decide to go after their drug trafficking targets and local young men that might look like potential drug traffickers in their eyes to kill them.\u201d \u2014 Tom Phillips<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A very interesting feature of this podcast is that, although it is narrated in English, the audience can hear Portuguese passages by Jacarezinho residents throughout the episode: \u201cele \u00e9 de um jornal ingl\u00eas\u201d (\u201che\u2019s with an English newspaper\u201d); \u201cn\u00e3o sei quem \u00e9 n\u00e3o, mas o menino est\u00e1 morto\u201d (\u201cI don\u2019t know who the boy is, but he is dead\u201d), said a woman in a low sad tone; \u201cN\u00e3o vai papai! N\u00e3o vai, eles v\u00e3o te matar!\u201d (\u201cDon\u2019t go, daddy! Don\u2019t go, they\u2019re going to kill you!\u201d), cried a desperate daughter in fear for her father\u2019s life. These lines were not used to further stigmatize favelas. On the contrary, these chunks of reality bring the audience closer to the atmosphere in Jacarezinho during and shortly after the massacre.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite a Supreme Court ban ruling out police operations in Rio unless there were required in exceptional circumstances, deadly police operations like this one in Jacarezinho have been killing hundreds if not thousands yearly, <\/span>as stated in<\/span><\/a> The Guardian<\/span><\/a><\/em>. But it was only after Jacarezinho that, <\/span>as<\/span><\/a> AP <\/span><\/a><\/em>reported<\/span><\/a>, Brazil\u2019s top judges decided to review their ban on Rio\u2019s police operations in favelas during the pandemic, making it stricter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Favela Talents and Creativity Portrayed in the International Media<\/h3>\n

Amid such crises, favela potentialities, especially with regard to technology, sports, and creativity, also made headlines abroad. Brazil\u2019s <\/span>Gerando Falc\u00f5es<\/span><\/i><\/a> project, for example, was depicted<\/span>\u00a0by <\/span>Forbes <\/span><\/em>magazine<\/span><\/a> as a possibility to eradicate poverty through smart favelas. The text depicts Edu Lyra, an influential favela leader from S\u00e3o Paulo who is trying to create what he calls a \u201csmart favela.” He wants this high-tech business hub to become a blueprint for the rest of the country\u2019s urban peripheries, and Lyra has been known to succeed against the slimmest of odds.<\/span><\/p>\n

A number of insightful articles frame favelas as solution hubs to complex and long-standing urban problems. <\/span>A study<\/span><\/a> by Lund University showed how nature is important to favela residents and how residents seek to preserve it, trying to find solutions to their environmental problems in the absence of government. <\/span>Wion News<\/span><\/a><\/em> prepared a video report on the potential of solar energy production through the example of the solar cooperative, <\/span>RevoluSolar<\/span><\/a> in the favelas of Babil\u00f4nia<\/a> and Chap\u00e9u-Mangueira<\/a>. Considering that the cost of electricity in Rio has grown 105% in the last decade, setting up solar panels is increasingly seen as a way to light up favela homes, as published <\/span>by<\/span><\/a> Yahoo!<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Brazil\u2019s ten largest favelas created their own banking system in 2021. A <\/span>video featured on <\/span><\/a>CGTN America<\/span><\/a><\/em> showed the <\/span>G10 Bank<\/span><\/a>, a favela-based financial institution that offers micro-loans to small business owners and credit and debit cards to favela residents excluded from the traditional banking system. The initiative was covered by\u00a0AFP<\/em> and ended up\u00a0<\/span>on France 24<\/span><\/a><\/em> and <\/span>The India Times<\/span><\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sports have always been a source of hope for favelas. Soccer player Douglas Luiz <\/span>said to <\/span><\/a>The Guardian<\/span><\/a><\/em>: \u201cI\u2019m proud to be from the favela. I\u2019ve proved we can make it.\u201d A midfielder for English team <\/span>Aston Villa<\/span><\/a> and hailing from Complexo da Mar\u00e9\u2019s Nova Holanda community, he talks about what it means to have a favela background, with all the lack of access and opportunities this entails. His message is that dreams can come true for favela residents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy because I\u2019ve proved that we can make it and can achieve our dreams. Clubs have rejected me in the past, I didn\u2019t have the financial means to support myself, but now I\u2019m here.\u201d \u2014 Douglas Luiz<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Though many, like Douglas, have dreamt of becoming soccer stars, <\/span>esports<\/span><\/a> have recently proven an unlikely source of hope for young favela residents. <\/span>As covered by Wired<\/span><\/a>, apart from problems such as exposure to violence, budgetary constraints, hunger, neglect, and social relegation, favela gamers also have issues regarding access to quality devices and Internet connectivity. not to mention <\/span>very unreliable access to electricity<\/span>, an endemic problem locally known as an <\/span>apag\u00e3o<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Favela players often play using the Wi-Fi of their friend’s house, always dribbling difficulties.” \u2014 Preto Zez\u00e9, president of CUFA<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Most gamers in Brazil <\/span>are <\/span>women<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Afro-Brazilians<\/span><\/a>. In this scenario, game design studios have been creating storylines and characters that relate to Brazilian players. The <\/span>Wired<\/span><\/i> article stated that teams have started to focus on favelas to recruit gamers and that CUFA organizes an annual event, the <\/span>Favelas Cup<\/span><\/a>, that hosts 12 teams from all over the country to compete in <\/span>Free Fire<\/span><\/i><\/a>, with an audience of over 120,000 people watching the live event.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Wired<\/a>
Wired magazine portrayed the vitality of favela gaming. Art: Phellipe Wanderley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Originally created as a <\/span>soccer championship<\/span><\/a>, the Favelas Cup changed its focus amid the pandemic in 2020 toward esports. Free Fire was the chosen game because it is light and runs easily even on older cell phones. It is also the most played game in favelas and the world, with over <\/span>150 million daily active users globally<\/span><\/a>. In 2021, some 200,000 gamers on 1,300 teams participated in the Favelas Cup. There\u2019s a cash award and a bootcamp for the winning team.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

J\u00e1 faz aquela call na squad e se prepara que vem a\u00ed a CopaFavelas e @afrogamesbr<\/a> em Vig\u00e1rio Geral!👾🎮<\/p>\n

Com muita felicidade, anunciamos que em Dezembro\/2021 a Copa das Favelas acontece em Vig\u00e1rio Geral, na sede do AfroGames e dessa vez o final do campeonato ser\u00e1 presencial. pic.twitter.com\/9ILPPadUtR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Copa das Favelas: 2021 (@CopaFavelas) June 22, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n