Mission
The
Rocinha Arts and Cultural Institute (RACI) works to empower the
citizens of Rocinha by encouraging and supporting local arts and
cultural programs. We're working to establish a community center
and secure other institutional resources around which local clubs,
programs, and organizations may grow and thrive.
Vision
We
envision a community in which individuals recognize and exercise their
power to promote positive social change. By providing a "home
base" for the already growing number of social organizations present in
Rocinha, we are providing fertile ground in which perpetual knowledge
and cultural exchange may take root.
Background
One
of the primary goals set forth by the Rocinha Arts and Cultural
Institute is to obtain a building within Rocinha around which to
structure our community center and serve as an anchor point for our
social outreach work. Many arts and cultural organizations
already exist in Rocinha, and are run and organized by very talented
and entrepreneurial individuals. However, many of these programs
are under-funded and lack basic resources -- specifically, office and
studio space. RACI has identified many of these "homeless"
organizations, such as capoeira groups that are left with no option but
to practice in the streets. These situations can be unsafe for
participants, not to mention limiting to a group's potential.
RACI hopes to meet the needs of such groups and organizations in
Rocinha, while encouraging the development of new programs and
organizations, enabling individuals to continue and grow in their work
so that they themselves may play an active role in social outreach in
their own communities.
Favelas, and the Favela of Rocinha
A
favela is an informal squatter settlement where residents have often
constructed their own homes without the aid of city planning or
established city infrastructure. They are neighborhoods of
extreme poverty, and although usually have basic utilities such as
electricity and plumbing, the systems are often informal, and
inadequate. Streets and walkways are also constructed
haphazardly, and can prove difficult to navigate, often consisting of
awkwardly place steps or having gaping holes that drop off into the
makeshift sewer system below.
Rio de Janeiro is unique in that
many of its favelas are located adjacent to neighborhoods of extreme
affluence, such as the famous Ipanema or Copacabana districts,
presenting a very dramatic, and very visible, disparity in standards of
living. Most of the favelas in Rio have been built on the rocky,
mountainous terrain of the hills that stretch down the backbone of
city, while the wealthier neighborhoods lie just below in the flatlands
that extend towards the seashore.
In addition to the poverty, most
of the favelas in Rio are commandeered by Rio's infamous drug
factions. Rival factions control different favelas, and
territorial battles fought with military-grade arms ensue.
Drugs and guns are commonplace in the favela, but surprisingly violence
against favela residents is minimal. The drug factions "look
after" the favela community, impose community law, and sponsor local
dances and parties featuring "baile funk" music, a genre unique to Rio
de Janeiro. The drug factions have filled the "power vacuum" in
favela communities, where Rio's debilitated (and often corrupt) police
force has failed to provide. Many factions have agreements with
the local police, and they usually steer clear of one another.
The
favela of Rocinha is located in Zona Sul (the south zone) of Rio de
Janeiro, perched alongside the rocky peak of Dois Irmãos ("Two
Brothers") and bordering the affluent neighborhoods of Gávea and São
Conrado. Rocinha spreads over an area of roughly one square mile,
most of that slopes of steep incline, and is home to an estimated
population of 60,000 to 150,000 individuals.
For an excellent account of Rocinha and its history, please see
Mundo Real's site (friends who run another great nonprofit in Rocinha).
Contact
Please see the
members section for individual contact information.
