The Brazilian Favela is as familiar to its landscape as are the lush green hills, dense dark green forests, blue skies and yellow sun. These are, and without coincidence, also the colors of the Brazilian flag. It’s been said that only in Brazil can you buy a million dollar apartment and see the Favelas from your living room window.

For many Brazilians, the Favelas are simply the coagulation of crime, poverty and the gravity that keeps their country from leaving third world status. Despite their strong economy, their self sufficient energy, and being the largest country in all of South America, Brazilians do not take any pride in this interesting microcosm of their own great society. The Favelas are the colorful shanty town that sprinkle the mountainsides all over the country. They are now equipped with electricity, plumbing, Internet and banks. They are home to poor, hard working people who commute by bus to their jobs. They are also populated by gangs whose currency is violence and drugs.

The Favelas, like any other real estate, must be controlled in terms of their expansion. Since they, like the rest of the cities in Brazil, occupy the lush countryside, it is only through the destruction of forest that the Favelas, and the city, can expand. Putting a cap on that expansion will always be controversial.

Brazil is slowly becoming a global economic superpower. Their economy is deemed stable by American analysts, and their energy industry is world-class. Brazil is the largest producer of Ethanol, made from sugar cane. In Brazil’s rise to economic freedom, they struggle to leave behind a past where its own Amazon forest was ravaged by man-made deforestation, the extinction of wildlife and the upheaval of Brazil’s indigenous people. Today, in Rio de Janeiro, where drug-related crimes are very high, and where the world’s finest beaches of Ipanema, Copacabana, and Leblon attract millions of visitors worldwide and all year round, the local and federal governments work hard to ensure the safety of all visitors. And part of that safety is what they can or can’t see. The Favelas are not considered to be the natural beauty of the Brazilian landscape, economically and politically.

Brazil walks a tight rope on its struggle to become a global powerhouse. Its energy industry is the engine, its government the driver, and the whole world its passengers.

Richard D. Lee, Unplugged and Brazilian-American
The Right Click Blog