Favela in Brazil

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When conditions of high fertility and morality prevails, the death of a child is the norm for poorer families; mothers do not grieve when a fragile child dies, and maternal acceptance of child death may actually jeopardize the life of certain children. Mothers invest only in those infants likely to survive and distance themselves psychologically from vulnerable infants and withdraw love and care. This thesis rejects current research on mother-infant interaction and the belief that mother love is a universal phenomenon.

Today in Bom Jesus an ‘angel-baby’ is sent to heaven, on average, once every other day. Traditional wakes for infants are brief, rarely lasting more than a couple of hours. There is a minimum of ceremony, there are no songs, prayers or rituals of any kind. Household life goes on as usual around the infant who is usually in a casket on the kitchen table. The baby’s grandmother or godmother is in charge. When an infant dies on the Alto do Cruziero there is neither great joy nor grief. A mother is likely to suggest that death came as a blessing. ‘I feel free,’ is a common response. This is not to say that women are cold or unfeeling. Often a mother will say: ‘What a pity it is to see them suffer and die’. But pity is distinct from grief. The dead baby or ‘little angel’ is seen as a blameless creature whose future happiness lies in heaven.

Residents of a shantytown in northeast Brazil, they are called the Alto do Cruziero. Alto mothers do sometimes turn away from certain ill-fated babies and abandon them to an early death in which their own neglect sometimes plays a final and definitive part. But maternal indifference does not always lead to death, and should an infant or a toddler show that he has a hidden talent for life his mother may greet the fated child’s surprising turnabout with grateful joy and deep lasting affection. And the same ‘neglectful’ mothers can exclaim that they live only for their grown children, some of whom only survive in spite of them. In so doing, these women are neither hypocritical nor self-delusional.

On the Alto do Cruziero the birth of a child is hardly a time of rejoicing. Mother love follows a tortured path, often beginning with a rocky start and tense with many risks, dangers, separations and deaths. On this unwelcoming, rocky outcrop mother love grows slowly, tentatively, fearfully. The strong hopefulness that allows the mother to greet each new life gives way in the shantytown to dark clouds of negativity, doubt and despair rooted in the unhappy experience of repeated infant death. And so the doubt allows a mother to reject an infant born weak and sickly as a child not worth keeping, a child without a capability for life.

One thing that citizens take into consideration is the religion they practice. A number of religious traditions exist in the favelas. Historically, Catholicism was the most prominent religion of the area, but over the past few decades there has been a shift toward Evangelicalism, including Pentecostalism. While there has been an increase in the number of converts to Evangelicalism, there are also an increasing number of people who claim to be non-religious. Brazil was ruled by Portugal. From the 1500s to the 1800s, Brazil provided nearly 75 percent of the world's supply of coffee. After independence from Portugal in 1822, Brazil expanded its production of rubber, sugar, and gold. Brazil also created manufacturing industries. As of the late 1990s, Brazil was the world's tenth-largest economy. However, not all Brazilians have prospered along with the economy; some Brazilians live in poverty.

A serious social problem in Brazil is the number of homeless children living on the streets. It has been estimated that as many as eight to twelve million street children live in desperate poverty. Street children as young as seven and eight years old have been abandoned by parents who are too poor to provide for them. Drug abuse and glue-sniffing are serious problems among this group of young people. Street children are forced to resort to stealing, pickpocketing, and prostitution to survive.

Although children have full protection under the law, thousands of street children have been murdered by Brazilian police. Many gang members were hired by shop owners who believed that the problem of street children could only be solved by eliminating them. In response, many community groups and the children themselves have organized to raise awareness of children's rights.

Brazil is a land of contrasts. Its cities combine modern skyscrapers, suburban houses, and impoverished slums. Known as favelas, Brazil's urban slums have been estimated to be home to as many as twenty-five million people. The inhabitants of favelas live in desperate poverty. Poor sanitation causes serious health problems. There is no garbage collection or sewer access. A life of crime is often the only alternative for unemployed youth with no economic opportunities.

In contrast, the upper and middle classes have a high standard of living. Brazil's major cities are very modern, with large shopping malls, restaurants, and highways. Luxury high-rise apartment buildings and large houses have all the amenities one would expect in the United States. Most middle-and upper-class families have servants to assist with housework. A family in Brazil generally consists of parents and five to seven children. Some families continue to have as many as fifteen children. Both the nuclear families and extended families play an important social role. Most socializing is conducted with members of the extended family. Godparents remain extremely important in rural areas, but their importance may be declining in urban areas.

Gender differences are clearly marked in Brazilian society. Sexism is an ingrained feature of the culture. Limited educational opportunities, especially for lower-class women, keep females tied to traditional roles. Few middle-and upper-class women work outside the home, although in recent times this number has begun to increase. Brazilian society has clearly defined roles for both women and men. Female beauty is highly valued, and young women commonly wear short skirts or shorts in an attempt to attract the attention of men. An exaggerated show of manliness is customary among Brazilian men. Interactions between the sexes typically have a flirtatious quality. Marital unfaithfulness is a serious social problem in Brazil. It is very common for men to take a mistress on a long-term or permanent basis. While this behavior is not completely sanctioned in Brazilian society, it is widespread and is tolerated.

Sources:

- http://catcomm.org/call-them-favelas/