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Morro do Pavão/Pavãozinho, Rio de Janeiro 2006

Cantagalo/Pavão/Pavãozinho - These 3 favelas sit side by side on a hill above Ipanema overlooking the entire bay from Copacabana around to Leblon Pacified in 2010 the morro (hill) has undergone a lot of change new people have moved in some foreign some more middle class people and it was heralded as one of the cities clean up success stories until mid 2013. Back in 2006 Cantagalo was one of the more calm hills it was easier to walk around and they had a police station that was manned during the day. There was still gang related activity but compared to places like Complexo do Alemao and Parada de Lucas Cantagalo was laid back. Since the UPP (Police Pacifying Units) moved in - they have taken over a high rise building a number of residents had been evicted from their homes either because they were too risky as structures of they were in the way of progress many houses have been demolished in order to make way for a road to provide services. In 2013 alot of this work was still awaiting construction. A big improvement was that a new elevator had been built from the base of the hill at back of Ipanema which provides a whole new level of safe efficient access for residents. In 2013 as a foreigner I could come and go freely from the neighbourhood up the new lift. This was not so possible in 2006. The peace brought by pacification in Pavao/Pavazinho came under threat in October 2013 when the drug gangs started to fight back against the police resulting in one young man being shot and killed by the police. The authorities claimed he was a known member of a gang but residents disagreed and had carried his body down the hill to the street level. Since then there has been more regular problems at the same time other pacified favelas like Complexo do Alemao have become unstable. While international newspapers talk about how the city is being swept clean in preparation for the World cup and Olypmpics the reality is much more complex and unsure.

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Morro do Pavão/Pavãozinho, Rio de Janeiro 2006
Copyright
Nicola Dracoulis
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6144x4096 / 4.5MB
Contained in galleries
Viver no Meio do Barulho - Rio
Cantagalo/Pavão/Pavãozinho - These 3 favelas sit side by side on a hill above Ipanema overlooking the entire bay from Copacabana around to Leblon Pacified in 2010 the morro (hill) has undergone a lot of change new people have moved in some foreign some more middle class people and it was heralded as one of the cities clean up success stories until mid 2013. Back in 2006 Cantagalo was one of the more calm hills it was easier to walk around and they had a police station that was manned during the day. There was still gang related activity but compared to places like Complexo do Alemao and Parada de Lucas Cantagalo was laid back. Since the UPP (Police Pacifying Units) moved in - they have taken over a high rise building a number of residents had been evicted from their homes either because they were too risky as structures of they were in the way of progress many houses have been demolished in order to make way for a road to provide services. In 2013 alot of this work was still awaiting construction. A big improvement was that a new elevator had been built from the base of the hill at back of Ipanema which provides a whole new level of safe efficient access for residents. In 2013 as a foreigner I could come and go freely from the neighbourhood up the new lift. This was not so possible in 2006. The peace brought by pacification in Pavao/Pavazinho came under threat in October 2013 when the drug gangs started to fight back against the police resulting in one young man being shot and killed by the police. The authorities claimed he was a known member of a gang but residents disagreed and had carried his body down the hill to the street level. Since then there has been more regular problems at the same time other pacified favelas like Complexo do Alemao have become unstable. While international newspapers talk about how the city is being swept clean in preparation for the World cup and Olypmpics the reality is much more complex and unsure.