Interview with Anna Marcondes, a Leader at Morro dos Macacos in Rio de Janeiro.

“Why are we talking about the safety of athletes and fans who won’t be in my city until 2016, when there are thousands in my community whose lives are in danger right now?”

“…  residents of Morro dos Macacos are fighting for a dignified life every day.”

– Dona Anna Marcondes Faria, a community leader at Morro dos Macacos, in Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro.

By Rodrigo Brandao

Starting a series of interviews with community leaders from Rio de Janeiro, BrazilNYC is pleased to feature this exclusive conversation between Dona Anna Marcondes Faria, a community leader at the Morro dos Macacos (i.e. Hill of the Monkeys) neighborhood, in Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro, and Melanie Edwards, the founder of Mobile Metrix (www.mobilemetrix.org), a market research company that quickly and accurately gathers data about underreported communities.

Listen to a complementary audio interview on the player below:

Morro dos Macacos, part of the Vila Isabel district in Rio de Janeiro, RJ.

Anna Marcondes Faria is a founding member of the community center CEACA (www.ceaca.org.br), a group that goes back to the late 1970s and was originally created by local mothers who were looking to improve child care and education in their neighborhood.

On October 17, Farias’ on-going organizing at the Morro dos Macacos was marked by what has quickly become a major international story, when a police helicopter was gunned down by drug dealers ­and three of the six police officers onboard were killed.

It was a day of widespread violence in Rio de Janeiro, where buses were burned and at least other 12 people were killed throughout the city. But it was a dispute over drug-selling points at and around Morro dos Macacos that started this escalation of violence, only days after Brazil was selected to be the host of the 2016 Olympic Games.

According to Melanie Edwards and her research team at Mobile Metrix, an estimated 1.8 million people – one fifth of the population – live in Rio’s 750 urban slums, called favelas.

Mobile Metrix’s door-to-door community survey at the Morro dos Macacos estimates the local population at 28,000, with a local unemployment rate at a staggering 63%. The average family income is $R500 per month ($291), and about 90% of the people living in Morro dos Macacos earn less than R$900 per month ($524). Also, 45% of the population living in Morro dos Macacos is under 18 years old.

This Q&A with Dona Anna Marcondes Faria was conducted by Mobile Metrix, a couple of days after the recent attacks:

Melanie Edwards: What are the three best things about living in Morro dos Macacos?

Ana Marcondes Faria: Location, proximity to the commercial center and our public transportation. Morro dos Macacos is very well situated within the city; it’s in the district of Vila Isabel which has a good transportation system that reaches to all areas of the city. Also, there’s the low cost of water, electricity and general living expenses. And this community has the advantage of being rent free; whoever builds their house, has a house. Lastly, there’s the unity among community residents. The community is very friendly and there is great solidarity among residents.

Q: What are the three worst things?

A: There is no respect for the residents. The police enter our houses without a warrant. So, not even homes are a safe location. There’s also a lack of essential services: safety, water, electricity, schools… For example, this weekend’s attack caused schools to close and there is no water or electricity. The generator for the electricity was shot out and the electricity was needed to pump water into the community. Plus, the water and electrical system are not legal; most houses rig from the public system in a disorderly way to get these basic utilities. And because of this, a resident doesn’t have the right to demand anything. Also, there are constant confrontations, killings and injury of innocent people.

Claudio Gomes de Abreu, a mobile agent working at Morro dos Macacos

Q: How does it feel to work and live in Morro dos Macacos during a conflict?

A: It is total insecurity. Actually, the whole city of Rio suffers because everyone has to take precautions to feel safe.

Q: What things about the war/conflict do you fear the most?

A: Stray bullets. Given the escalation of conflicts and the use of more sophisticated and powerful weapons, injuries from ‘lost bullets’ are becoming more common.

Q: What are the three worst impacts of the war on your community?

The death of innocent people that then generates feelings of injustice in the community. The uncertainty is very painful; people have to leave their homes and have nowhere to go, and then, they end up at the mercy of violence. Also, seeing the children going through this trauma; seeing teenagers trembling in panic, the despair in their faces.

Q: How do you feel about the Olympic Games coming to Rio de Janeiro?

A: The episodes that happened this weekend (on October 17) call attention to the problems authorities must solve. The Olympics are a great hope. Authorities made a commitment to the world to provide safety and investment. This is an opportunity and will have good repercussions in everyone’s life.

Q: What do you think Rio must change before the Olympics in 2016?

A: Don’t makeup problems, face reality and the work ahead, and support institutions that work within the communities on issues of education, health and prevention. In general when a major event like the Olympics comes to the city, the problems get hidden. This incident in the Morro shows that you can not mask things throughout life. This can be a warning, and a reason to solve problems instead of hiding them.

Why are we talking about the safety of athletes and fans who won’t be in my city until 2016 when there are thousands in my community whose lives are in danger right now? There is no water. There is no electricity. Residents are fearful to walk out of the favela to work yet they need to earn money for their families. We’re afraid that innocent lives will be lost in the pursuit of retribution. We need to bring safety to our own citizens before we can offer it to our guests.

Something exploded in violence in the community of Morro dos Macacos and it attracted the world’s attention. But it is also important to mention that the residents of Morro dos Macacos are fighting for a dignified life every day. There are groups within the community, such as CEACA (the Community Center), that run pre-schools and do capacity building for young people, and there are many volunteers as well as a network of solidarity within and outside the community. Frankly, there is a need to show the decent, hard-working side of communities like ours.