Are favelas safe?
We ascended Rochinas narrow streets with real apprehension. Rio’s largest favela has a notorious history of drugs, shootings and extreme poverty. The guidebooks advise against going alone. Luckily we had a guide, Alfredo, who was keen to change the poor perception of favelas by inviting people to visit the inhabitants. But were we safe? Apparently so, the drug barons whose authority preceeds that of the law, approved of our visiting and the gangs who were most likely to rob or mug us were away working the touristy areas! Beginning our walk high above Rio’s beaches and in sight of places like the jockey club below, it seemed bitterly ironic that the poorest of people had such spectacular views, yet few of the comforts. Words like ghetto and slum are often associated with favelas but were these terms justified? Alfredo thought not as he pointed out all the developments that were happening. Essentially, there were small businesses bringing positive change to the community and we picked up
