About City of God
Fast Facts- The City of God (Cidade de Deus) is a favela on the outskirts of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- A favela is shanty town or slum commonly found on the edge of cities in Brazil.
- 1/3 of the population living in the City of God are under the age of 18.
- Rio de Janeiro is home to over 6 million people, one third of whom live in favelas.
History of the City of God The City of God was constructed in the 1960s to house the residents of 23 favelas in Rio de Janeiro’s city center. Favelas are the shanty towns and slums of Brazil. The City of God is one of Rio’s poorest and roughest favelas.
Carlos Lacerda, the mayor of Rio from 1960 to 1965, wanted to move the favela dwellers further away from Rio. Government officials set fire to many of the favela homes and forced the residents to move to the outskirts of the city. This outskirts area soon became known as the Cidade de Deus (City of God).
Today the City of God has a population of more than 120,000 people. About one third of the population is youth. Even to this day, this area continues to lack basic services and infrastructure. Many residences do not get regular access to water or sewage. Many of the new huts being built have open-air toilettes and can’t get service for electricity.
The drug trade in Brazil The continent of South America is the world’s primary producer of cocaine. Brazil serves mainly as a transit country for cocaine to be exported. Rio de Janeiro, located on the eastern coast of Brazil, is a major exit point for the export of cocaine.
According to the Federal Police of Brazil about 20 percent of the cocaine that arrives in Rio de Janeiro is sold internally, that is, within the same city, or within Brazil. The trafficking of drugs in Brazil is operated by drug factions, also known as gangs. These drug factions are organized, armed gangs who dominate their favela communities. The drug gangs control the favela communities socially, politically and economically.
Territorial disputes between these gangs often lead to use of weapons and violence.
Youth and violence in the drug trade Over the last three decades, youth involvement in the drug trade and in armed combat has increased dramatically. In 2002, an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 minors were working in Rio’s drug trade, according to Luke Dowdney, British anthropologist and founder of Luta Pela Paz Foundation, “Fight for Peace,” an urban violence prevention program for youth of Rio. In 2004, 422 minors were killed by firearms in Rio alone. The majority of these deaths were drug trade-related.
Traffickers are becoming more heavily armed and increasingly younger. From his in-depth case study on youth in the drug trade in Rio, Dowdney found that the average age of children entering the drug trade is about 13 years old.
The rich and the poor in BrazilPoverty lies at the heart of the crisis. Brazil is not a poor country lacking resources but the disparity among the rich and the poor is vast and growing. According to data from Worldbank, the richest 20% of Brazilians received 61% of national income, while the poorest 20% only received 2.8% of the national income.
The poorest of the poor in Rio and other cities are marginalized into the favelas. In addition to classism there is the problem of racism. (In this context, classism refers to the systemtic oppression of poor people. Most often people with dark skin are poorer in Brazilian society). About one third of Rio’s population live in favelas and 75% of the favela population are black or part black.
The children of the favelasChildren in the favelas do not have access to good schools or useful vocational training. Due to extreme financial strains. they are often forced to find work at a young age to help support their families. Many end up dropping out of school to work. Without an education or training it is nearly impossible for them to find a decent job. Unfortunately, drug trafficking presents itself as one of the only options.
What is being done to help the youth of favelas?Activists like hip hop star and community leader, MV Bill, have been dedicating themselves for years to improve the lives of the children of favelas. MV Bill believes that there are other options for youth. For example, by offering messages of hope through his music, youth presentations and his CUFA youth centers, MV Bill is showing young people that there are many other alternatives available to them.
What can I do?
- Support groups like CUFA that focus on improving the lives and well being of youth living in favelas.
- Watch and tell others about 4REAL City of God, featuring MV Bill.
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