Rio de Janeiro: Exploring the Links between Inequality and Violence - Article Example

Rio de Janeiro: exploring the links between inequality and violence s Nowadays many modern countries face inequality, poverty and crime, especially in separate urban areas. “Cities across Africa, Asia and Latin America are increasingly characterized by burgeoning squatter settlements, shanty-towns and favelas, fuelling fears about the negative social and political impact of urban growth” (Beal, J., 2009). The reasons for such difficult conditions are predetermined by the historical background of these countries. The city of Rio de Janeiro is one of the best examples, when the city combines luxury infrastructure and poor slums. Having the long history of slavery and social unjust, it now struggles against the consequences, which appeared due to the low economic stability and partial segregation of the population. “Organized crime and gang violence can be found in both poor and rich countries. They often pose serious problems, particularly in urban areas, to the state and to society” (Pierre Hauck and Sven Peterke, 2010). Rio, which is one of the major tourist’s attraction in Brazil, the greatest financial center and seaport, undergoes a constant struggle between the local authorities and drug dealers. The aim of this work is to analyze the contents of inequality and violence in Rio de Janeiro and identify the links between them. “Nowadays, the city of Rio de Janeiro is experiencing an important moment characterized by urban transformations that seem to reflect the overcoming of a period of crisis, which began at the end of the 70’s and became more intense in the 80’s. During this period, the city felt the nationwide impacts of unemployment, “informalisation” of labour, poverty, violence, increases in the number of slums, urban degradation, and violence” (Luiz Cesar de Queiroz Ribeiro, 2013). Many countries today face the same situations. The rate of inequality and crime increases in the majority of the largest cities of the world. The process of urbanization plays a great role in it. “Cities as disparate as Bagdad, Ciudad Juarez, Kabul, Nairobi, Rio de Janeiro and San Pedro Sula are being problematized by what some have termed the “new military urbanism” (Muggan, R., 2012). The history of Rio de Janeiro covers about one thousand five hundred years. On the first of January, 1502 the Portuguese navigator Gaspar de Lemos discovered Guanabara Bay. The Portuguese considered the bay to be the mouth of the river. Consequently, the name of the city, translated from Portuguese means “January River”. The first nationalities, who settled Rio de Janeiro, after it had been discovered, were French. In 1567, the city was occupied by Portuguese. Initially, the city grew very slowly until the researchers discovered gold on the territory of Brazil. From 1763 to 1960, Rio de Janeiro was the capital of the state, however, in 1960, this function passed to the city of Brasilia. At the end of the XIX century, due to the mass immigration from Europe and the large influx of people from the villages, the population of Rio de Janeiro began to grow rapidly. The beauty of this city is mostly revealed due to its excellent location. It stretches along the coast with beautiful beaches and rocky hills. The population of Rio today is approximately 7 million people. It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, which inhabitants call themselves "kariokas". Kariokas are friendly and self-confident. They love music, nightlife and football. In Rio de Janeiro there is a great variety of attractions. However, there is also a negative side of this fairy-tale country called Brazil. In the XIX century in Rio de Janeiro appeared such famous districts of the city, as Rio Copacabana and Ipanema, and «favelas», poor peasants’ notorious areas. “The history of the favela communities can be traced back to the end of the 19th century, when ex-soldiers, ex-slaves, and poor rural migrants were forced into squatter settlements due to the high land values and enormous demand for housing. The inhabitants of the favelas, the favelados, have generally been poor and non-white citizens, who have historically been excluded from the former labor market, quality education and participation in the public and political spheres, and who were hence distinguished from the rest of the population, living in the asfalto, the city on the flat ground” (Mahmut Halef Cevriogly, 2007). Social transformation caused by such historical events as the decline of coffee production in Vale do Paraiba, the abolition of slavery and the rapid development of industrialization brought to a large influx of former slaves and European (Portuguese) immigrants, criminals and other marginal elements to the countrys capital, Rio de Janeiro. This led to the rapid demographic growth in the city from 1872 to 1890. The population increased from 270 thousand to 522 thousand people. Realizing the dangerous consequences of this process, the prefect of the city, Candida Barata Ribeiro, began to pursue the growth of these poor peasant huts. Consequently in 1893 the settlement was completely destroyed. This event left homeless around 2000 people. However, they managed to get the permission from the government for the reconstruction of their houses (the same barracks) on Mount Providencia. Another group of homeless people consisted of soldiers, who received the permission to build their homes on Mount Santo António. When these soldiers suppressed the uprising in the village of Canudos, their camp was located in the surrounding mountain, which was called Favela. The name of the mountain expressed a plant favela, growing in the region, which causes skin irritation in case of contact. In some time, all the mountains with the settlements of slums on them were called favelas. The main streets of the center have been expanded and the new ones were built, such as the Central Avenue (Avenida Central). Due to the reconstruction of the centeral part of the city, the whole blocks of slums and huts were demolished. The people, who used to live in them, did not have an opportunity to buy the expensive property in the Center of the city and at the same time they could not live on the edge, due to the lack of money for transport costs. The only alternative for them was the mountains, located in the same place where they could build their homes and continue to live in the Central District. The problems of overcrowding and lack of housing were solved. However, in the nearest future, these neighborhoods became the "criminal fortress", terrifying the entire city. “In recent decades, several favelas scattered across the city have been dominated by drug gangs, which have used the territory to sell drugs and hide from police” (Joana Monteiro, Rudi Rocha, 2012). In the XX century, many politicians and public figures suggested to distroy these favelas and build normal houses for these people in the suburbs. However, their decision had the same obsticle: the lack of funds for the implementation of such an ambitious program. Moreover, many of the residents of the favelas do not want to move to the suburbs, as they live and work in the southern zone. In this case, they will have to spend a lot of time and money for the way to work and back. Another issue is a cultural component. Nowadays, favela is an important and integral cultural stratum of Brazilian society and it is impossible to imagine a modern Brazil without it. “Rio de Janeiros unique topography makes its favelas particularly prominent: while the city is located on low-lying ground by the beach, the favelas sprawl above, perched on the hills surrounding the city” (Baena, V., 2011). However, the beauty of the mountains cannot hide the criminal side of these districts. “Low-income communities on the outskirts of major cities in Brazil (favelas) have suffered because they have often been used as bases for the drug trade. This illegal commerce has led to conflicts between gangs over territory and subsequently reduced both the safety and value of homes in these areas over time” (Bakary, S., 2013). People, living in these areas have a particular risk for their life and safety, however they try to protect their property from the actions of the authorities. The question of inequality of the population in Rio de Janeiro does not bear only geographical and financial character, but also touches the issue of racial discrimination. It is revealed through different social advantages, which are not available for those, who are of different ethnic group. “This inequality — whether in schools or in economic opportunity — also cuts along a sharp racial divide. Brazil has a brutal history of slavery, was late in accepting the abolition movement, then did little to help freed slaves — and it shows. Today, Brazilians who identify themselves as black or brown represent slightly more than 50 percent of the population, and their income level is half that of whites, according to IPEA, a government-linked think tank” (Otis, J., 2013). The contents of inequality and violence are strongly interconnected in Brazil, particularly in Rio. Both of them harmfully influence the standards of life of the society. The process of inequality in the lower levels of the population in Brazil led to the worsening of economic stability and recourses of the country, which provoked violence from unsatisfied inhabitants of favelas. One more link between the inequality and violence of the public masses is the distribution of income in Brazil. The concentration of money in Rio de Janeiro has been significantly increased during the last 30 years. However, the poorest strata receive the lowest level of social payments, which provoke the frustration of the population. The same concerns, the variety of goods on the markets of Brazil, which are available for some part of its population and prohibited for others. The indicators, which concern the systems of education, medicine, nutrition and so forth in Rio de Janeiro expressed he highest level of poverty in the urban areas. All these factors made the lower levels of the population in Brazil quite aggressive and cruel, providing social disorder in the country. Mass media, in this case, takes the side of the local governments, accusing the poor stratum in the violation of social order and blaming them in development of violence ideology. Newspapers and magazines shift the responsibility for all problems of the country, including violence to the unprotected poor members of the society, especially African-Americans, raising in addition the issues of racial segregation. People are tired of being used as scapegoats for the actions of more privileged strata. As we can see, the questions of inequality and violence are complex phenomena, which have deep roots in the history of the country. These contents in modern society of Rio de Janeiro are linked by the expression of social relationships between the individuals, group of people, public establishments and governmental affairs. Violence cannot belong to a certain group or class, as it always reveals the cooperation of several nets of particular social and cultural levels. They establish borders and measures of personal conflicts, which exist mostly in the poor urban areas. The theory about the vision of Brazilian as a peaceful population is only a myth. Returning to their history, we can observe the cases of enslavement of African and Indians, as well as domestication and slaughter. It describes the power of the holders of Brazilian territory and the ways they kept and widened their territory by means of violating the rights and lives of the unprotected strata. Economic and political violence in Rio de Janeiro have been consolidated and is accepted as a natural phenomenon. Crimes and violence have always existed in Rio de Janeiro as the integral part of the public relations. It became a universal and chronic problem, which concerns the lives of thousands of people. The rate of homicides has also increased significantly. Mostly the victims of homicides become males and children. Due to the development of street gangs and white-color crimes particularly in the urban areas, the favelas districts become more and more dangerous for living. The link between the inequality and violence in the country becomes tighter, which causes the increase in the mortality of their inhabitants. In fact, the reasons for these crimes are quite understandable. Poor people are used to live in the unhealthy conditions, drink polluted water and die before the achievement of the middle age. They become the victims of bad sanitation and hospitalization as well as the speculations from the side of those who work with real estates. All these features strengthen the links between the contents of inequality and violence and cause constant disorder and instability in one of the most beautiful cities of the world. Concluding this article, it is necessary to mention that the factors of financial, racial and social inequality greatly influence the moral state and health of the population of Rio de Janeiro. According to the great tense of circumstances, there is an increase in the number of social and public conflicts. “Since the 70s there has been an accelerating increase in all violent criminal modalities throughout Brazil, particularly in such modalities related to tensions in inter-subjective relationships, not related directly to crime, but related to conflicts between people passing in public places, family members, neighbours, employers and employees, and so on. The rate of homicides in Brazil is one of the highest in the World. In the 15 years between 1992 and 2007, the homicide rate grew 32%, from 19.2 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants to 25.4 (Juliana Da Silva-Mannel, 2013). All these factors bring us to the only conclusion: there is an obvious necessity in the implementation of social and political reforms to the life of Brazilian people. The contents of the inequality and violence in Rio de Janeiro are linked by means of the constant growth of the local disorders and the level of unsatisfied population. The issues of social, racial and financial inequality make the population struggle for their rights, which provoke the intensity of public crimes, increasing the rate of violence. References Baena, V. 2011. Favelas in the Spotlight: Transforming the Slums of Rio De Janeiro. Retrieved from: https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-256711241/favelas-in-the-spotlight-transforming-the-slums-of Bakary, S. 2013. Crime, house prices and inequality: Examining Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. 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