Itamaracá versus Caranguejo.
Door: Hilda Alberda
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Hilda
27 Januari 2006 | Brazilië, Recife
Bom dia. Here is another story about my life in Brasil. What I am going to tell you actually seem to be two contradicting realities. To start with, I spend my weekend in Itamaracá, an island well known for its beaches near Recife. Alexandres parents have a house there and we spent the weekend with his parents and sister, Amanda and Paulo and on Sunday the rest of Amanda´s family came as well. All I have been doing this weekend is swimming, relaxing, eating, drinking… just enjoying the nice weather, the Brazilian people around, the music and of course the sun, sea (nice blue) and beach (whit with palm trees and only Brazilians around). We were planning to go back on Sunday evening, but halfway or so there appeared to be a big party going on which blocked the roads… so we had to choice but to turn back and spent another night in Itamaracá. We ended op leaving at 6 am…
Then, Monday was also the day of my first visit to Caranguejo (say: Karankeesjoe), the favela where I will do my research. The favela is close to Rafael´s house (Catarina´s boyfriend) so that is where we leave our bags and so. Scott, Rafael (who knows some people in the favela) and Amanda accompanied me on my first visit. We walked from Rafael´s house to the favela. It is actually just a street that ends op in the favela. The houses in the beginning of the favela are not the worst; they are from stones and look relatively nice. Rafael already met some familiar people when we came in and one woman showed us the health post where our contacts are located. This is a post located in the center of the favela where care is provided for the people in the favela. The doctors who are working there live outside the favela, but the heal agents all live within the favela (this is actually a requirement to become a health agent). After receiving us at the health post and discussing what would be the best strategy (Scott and Amanda are of great help for me when doing my research, they are both very experienced with doing research, so I am really happy to receive their help!) some of the health agents showed us the favela. The favela is split up in 7 areas of which 1 health agent is in control. The plan is for me to choose one of these neighborhoods to do my research in. The neighborhoods vary from very poor, dirty, violent (either drugs or alcohol areas) to streets that are actually from stone with houses that have a television. They showed us the drugs places as well, but that is something an outsider does not notice. People living there varied as well. Some wore nice clothes, we even saw some cars coming in and in another area children were very dirty and wearing no clothes at all. The most shocking were some children who were playing at some kind of garbage belt… this place was so dirty! The favela is named Caranguejo, which means crap and this is because it is built on a swamp. In the beginning of the favela you do not recognize any of this, but when you go into it further, houses are built on pools (palen?!) and there is garbage spread around everywhere. In some places this is to make the ground more solid, but in other places it is just a mess. The children were playing there between the garbage and there were killed and plucked chickens lying around between the garbage and the living chickens and pigs. The houses (as far as you can call it houses) there are made of old pieces of wood and other material. When we went there, we passed a little girl (about 1 year old or so) that was totally dirty, sitting on the dirty ground naked and sibling on some old thing. The mother was not paying any attention to the girl and the health agents were actually worried about here. They asked the mother if it was her daughter, in order to make her aware of the situation, but there was not much reaction. The problem is that girls get involved with guys at a very young age, they get pregnant and don´t know what to do with the child.
The health agents showed us a large part of the favela, to get there we walked through narrow, dirty and smelly streets, with people sitting, walking, washing and children playing around. Amanda warned me not to look too serious, so I tried to smile a bit… But when smiling at people I did seem to get nice reactions. People were interested and they asked where we were from, if Scott was the president (of Brasil!) and things like that. The health agents and Rafeal know many people in the favela. For example, there was a guy who teaches caipoeira in the favela who played some caipoeira music for us with the children sitting around there. Those are things that kind of open your eyes from all the misery you are seeing… although I did not feel very shocked, when you realize that these people are actually living in this place, it hits you. But, looking at faces and overhearing conversations made a big difference in my perception of this place.
At the end of the favela is what is left from the swamp, dirty water with garbage laying around. But, behind the dikes there is more fresh water that is used as a shrimp factory, which is an important source of income for many inhabitants of the favela. In another part of the favela there is some kind of canal/ sewer that is dirty, and has a lot of garbage lying around, but I actually saw people getting water out of it.
At the end of our ´tour´ we ended up at the health post again. Amanda and I stood outside for a while. Amanda was talking with one of the police officers that were standing around there and I was having some kind of interaction with some boys that were playing there. They were making fun of each other towards me, telling how many girlfriends they had (about 70!) and one of them remarked that I was ´gostosa´, which means something as ´tasty´. After talking some things through in the health post we left the favela to return to Rafael´s house again. After which Amanda brought me back to my house.
On Tuesday I took my first bus in Brasil… wow! It took me some time to find the right one, but I managed to get it and end up at Amanda´s house! It is good to now how to catch a bus here; it makes me a little more independent. Alexandre is warning me to be really careful when riding a bus. I did not felt unsafe, but I rather not be taking a bus to late or when it´s dark. This Tuesday we did not go into the favela but practiced my interview with the women that cleans Scott´s house. On Wednesday Amanda and I went into the favela again, accompanied by the girl/ woman that is a housekeeper at Rafael´s place. We only went into the health post to have an interview with one of the health agents. During our first visit there we found out that these health agents are actually very interesting to talk with. Especially the woman, because they are working… The husband of this health agents died some years ago, but it was a very good example of a man who was against women working because he believed that women who work are cheaters (he actually cheated on her). After this interview Amanda and I walked back together and I actually did not feel unsafe or so. Although I was aware of walking through a favela, it did not give me a bad feeling. Concerning this, it is interesting to hear the different opinions of people about the safety in this favela . Some find it dangerous, for example; we were advised not to visit it on Friday afternoons because people tend to get drunk and violent then. On the other hand, a woman told us that there was not much violence in the favela. Whenever someone was murdered, it happened because of outsiders that came into the favela. But, while there was police around on Monday when I was there, I figure that there will probably be some reason for their visit…
Yesterday I was supposed to meet Amanda, but her car got stolen. So, I spend the day with Alexandre, having lunch and just a relaxing day. The research actually takes much of my time, while I have to work out the interviews afterwards. I do not have a computer at my place, so till now this means that I write everything down and after that I will type it out on the computer… I am not sure if this is the most practical option, but I will find my way.
So, that´s about it. I hope I somehow gave you a good impression of my first days in the favela… there are many to come and I will probably find out many interesting things. I´ll keep you posted!
Tchau,
Hilda
Then, Monday was also the day of my first visit to Caranguejo (say: Karankeesjoe), the favela where I will do my research. The favela is close to Rafael´s house (Catarina´s boyfriend) so that is where we leave our bags and so. Scott, Rafael (who knows some people in the favela) and Amanda accompanied me on my first visit. We walked from Rafael´s house to the favela. It is actually just a street that ends op in the favela. The houses in the beginning of the favela are not the worst; they are from stones and look relatively nice. Rafael already met some familiar people when we came in and one woman showed us the health post where our contacts are located. This is a post located in the center of the favela where care is provided for the people in the favela. The doctors who are working there live outside the favela, but the heal agents all live within the favela (this is actually a requirement to become a health agent). After receiving us at the health post and discussing what would be the best strategy (Scott and Amanda are of great help for me when doing my research, they are both very experienced with doing research, so I am really happy to receive their help!) some of the health agents showed us the favela. The favela is split up in 7 areas of which 1 health agent is in control. The plan is for me to choose one of these neighborhoods to do my research in. The neighborhoods vary from very poor, dirty, violent (either drugs or alcohol areas) to streets that are actually from stone with houses that have a television. They showed us the drugs places as well, but that is something an outsider does not notice. People living there varied as well. Some wore nice clothes, we even saw some cars coming in and in another area children were very dirty and wearing no clothes at all. The most shocking were some children who were playing at some kind of garbage belt… this place was so dirty! The favela is named Caranguejo, which means crap and this is because it is built on a swamp. In the beginning of the favela you do not recognize any of this, but when you go into it further, houses are built on pools (palen?!) and there is garbage spread around everywhere. In some places this is to make the ground more solid, but in other places it is just a mess. The children were playing there between the garbage and there were killed and plucked chickens lying around between the garbage and the living chickens and pigs. The houses (as far as you can call it houses) there are made of old pieces of wood and other material. When we went there, we passed a little girl (about 1 year old or so) that was totally dirty, sitting on the dirty ground naked and sibling on some old thing. The mother was not paying any attention to the girl and the health agents were actually worried about here. They asked the mother if it was her daughter, in order to make her aware of the situation, but there was not much reaction. The problem is that girls get involved with guys at a very young age, they get pregnant and don´t know what to do with the child.
The health agents showed us a large part of the favela, to get there we walked through narrow, dirty and smelly streets, with people sitting, walking, washing and children playing around. Amanda warned me not to look too serious, so I tried to smile a bit… But when smiling at people I did seem to get nice reactions. People were interested and they asked where we were from, if Scott was the president (of Brasil!) and things like that. The health agents and Rafeal know many people in the favela. For example, there was a guy who teaches caipoeira in the favela who played some caipoeira music for us with the children sitting around there. Those are things that kind of open your eyes from all the misery you are seeing… although I did not feel very shocked, when you realize that these people are actually living in this place, it hits you. But, looking at faces and overhearing conversations made a big difference in my perception of this place.
At the end of the favela is what is left from the swamp, dirty water with garbage laying around. But, behind the dikes there is more fresh water that is used as a shrimp factory, which is an important source of income for many inhabitants of the favela. In another part of the favela there is some kind of canal/ sewer that is dirty, and has a lot of garbage lying around, but I actually saw people getting water out of it.
At the end of our ´tour´ we ended up at the health post again. Amanda and I stood outside for a while. Amanda was talking with one of the police officers that were standing around there and I was having some kind of interaction with some boys that were playing there. They were making fun of each other towards me, telling how many girlfriends they had (about 70!) and one of them remarked that I was ´gostosa´, which means something as ´tasty´. After talking some things through in the health post we left the favela to return to Rafael´s house again. After which Amanda brought me back to my house.
On Tuesday I took my first bus in Brasil… wow! It took me some time to find the right one, but I managed to get it and end up at Amanda´s house! It is good to now how to catch a bus here; it makes me a little more independent. Alexandre is warning me to be really careful when riding a bus. I did not felt unsafe, but I rather not be taking a bus to late or when it´s dark. This Tuesday we did not go into the favela but practiced my interview with the women that cleans Scott´s house. On Wednesday Amanda and I went into the favela again, accompanied by the girl/ woman that is a housekeeper at Rafael´s place. We only went into the health post to have an interview with one of the health agents. During our first visit there we found out that these health agents are actually very interesting to talk with. Especially the woman, because they are working… The husband of this health agents died some years ago, but it was a very good example of a man who was against women working because he believed that women who work are cheaters (he actually cheated on her). After this interview Amanda and I walked back together and I actually did not feel unsafe or so. Although I was aware of walking through a favela, it did not give me a bad feeling. Concerning this, it is interesting to hear the different opinions of people about the safety in this favela . Some find it dangerous, for example; we were advised not to visit it on Friday afternoons because people tend to get drunk and violent then. On the other hand, a woman told us that there was not much violence in the favela. Whenever someone was murdered, it happened because of outsiders that came into the favela. But, while there was police around on Monday when I was there, I figure that there will probably be some reason for their visit…
Yesterday I was supposed to meet Amanda, but her car got stolen. So, I spend the day with Alexandre, having lunch and just a relaxing day. The research actually takes much of my time, while I have to work out the interviews afterwards. I do not have a computer at my place, so till now this means that I write everything down and after that I will type it out on the computer… I am not sure if this is the most practical option, but I will find my way.
So, that´s about it. I hope I somehow gave you a good impression of my first days in the favela… there are many to come and I will probably find out many interesting things. I´ll keep you posted!
Tchau,
Hilda
