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What to Celebrate on Favela Day?

November 4th was established by State Law, in 2019, as the "Favela Day". In its first article, the law states that the date becomes part of the commemorative calendar of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and in articles two and three, it says that the government will encourage the promotion of partnerships between public and private entities for the realization of cultural events in the state and in public schools, in celebration of the Favela Day.

However, before “celebrating”, we need to think carefully about the meaning of a Favela Day in the official calendar. This is because you cannot, in the first place, talk about favelas without understanding what we are talking about. The favela has existed for over a hundred years in Rio de Janeiro and, even so, it is still very poorly understood, being seen as a “problem” and as a threat. If we look at the construction of the imaginary about the favela – it would be better to say the favelas, in the plural, to express their diversity – we will see that since its inception it has sheltered the poorest, the blacks, the northeasterners and all those who did not fit into the so called “good society”.

We also need to recognize that the origin of the favelas goes back to our social, cultural, racial and economic inequalities. Recent studies, for example, show that living in a favela can mean less than 20 years of life, when compared to the life expectancy of a resident of wealthier areas of the city.

Therefore, there is no way to romanticize the difficulties faced by the “favelados”. Since the emergence of these popular territories in Rio de Janeiro, starting with the first favela, Morro da Providência, favelas have always suffered from racism and prejudice. And even after so long, its residents are, even today, treated as second-class citizens. 

However, it is worth recognizing the strength of the collective organization of its inhabitants over time. They have always been used to fighting for their rights and resisting countless attempts to remove and destroy their homes, although they were often unsuccessful, as they ended up losing the battle to the State, which, hand in hand with real estate speculators, removed thousands of residents from more than a hundred favelas throughout the history of Rio de Janeiro. 

We have to be careful when we hear from some people, perhaps more enthusiastic about the recent attention that favelas have received from the media – attention not always positive – when they claim that “the favela has won”. In fact, this has yet to be consolidated, as the struggle for basic rights, such as the right to life, and for respect, has to be won daily and with great persistence. Let us remember that, officially, favelas are still defined as “subnormal agglomerations”.

It is true that the residents of Rio's favelas, every day, advance towards building collective struggles that face the inequalities to which they are subjected. This is the case, for example, of the intense mobilization carried out to deal, almost alone, with the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic..

Struggles like this build actions whose impact improves the lives of “favelados” and, as a result, can help build a fairer and more egalitarian city. This is because there is no city without the favela. It is from this territory, the favela, where the greatest lessons of solidarity come from. These lessons help in the renewal of relationships between people and create new forms of sociability and culture, increasingly inclusive, and in support networks that escape the exclusive standards of the market. 

The favela, without failing to recognize the countless structural problems it faces, is a place of wealth, creativity and belief in a better future. If we look this way at the more than 1,300 favelas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and we could also include the favelas spread across Brazil, then we will have something to celebrate on this 4th of November.

Photos: Douglas Lopes

LONG LIVE THE FAVELA!