Vila de Autodromo Faces Displacemnt In The Wake of The Olympics by Carolina Varela

(there's still minor editing needed on this blog)

This is a story of displacement, a story that surfaces in the face of capitalistic intention

Overlooking what remains of Vila de Autodromo

As I stood at the foot of what used to be Vila de Autodromo, a neighborhood composed of 600 families, I felt a great weight in my heart, standing on top of a place that once was. This would be the most impacting moment of our study abroad trip.

The identity of the favelas in Brazil is often misconstrued by media. In reality the favelas are a large component of the landscape and culture of Brazil, and its existence is hidden in the wake of the Olympics. The common narrative perpetuates an image that the favelas are a place that harbors illegality, violence, and disorder, and as the Olympics were set to begin in August, it became clear what Brazil wanted to brush under the rug.

Poster advocating against Olympics

Therefore it’s important that I state that this identity constructed by media and societal norms is one full of fallacy for it is manufactured by an elitist mentality that benefits the upper class. Essentially this mentality is what furthers the disregard for the rights of those within a lower social class. And it furthers the racism and segregation that occurs within an unequal society. The favelas are its own thing, and a beautiful thing at that. And for the individuals living within them, they take pride in the houses they have built with their own hands, they love their community, and have created an environment where one can trust each other and depend on each other. This was the essence of Vila de Autodromo, before it’s ground was taken from them.

The pride they had for their homes and their neighborhood is what led up to this story of strong advocacy against the destruction of their community. As most saw these demolitions as an opportunity for modernization, the people in Vila de Autodromo were aware that the motivation that drove officials to demolish their homes was an attack on their way of living and their integrity as a people. If it were truly an opportunity for modernization, that modernization was not catered to them. They were fully conscious that these plans only benefited the upper class and essentially contributed to a society that did not want to acknowledge the other.

The plan to remodel their community was a plan that was being retold as a successful model eviction. Brazil's government has consistently denied that the Olympics had affected anyone negatively. Yet with the advocacy of the residents of Vila de Autodromo they were forced to confront their actions and how their plan disregarded the basic needs of these people.

They fought against the government that tried to buy their homes out. And on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 3rd they were met with violence as they resisted against the Brazilian police that were forcibly attempting to relocate them. Soon the motto of their fight became, “Not everything has a price”.

Sr. Nidivaldo Oliveira (resident of Vila de Autodromo) showing us
the wounds inflicted on residents who resisted to leave their homes

However despite the resistance, many families eventually accepted the compensation offered. But these families now regret their choice because they feel that have been tricked by their government officials and their current mayor Eduardo Paes. They feel that the compensation does not come close to what they have lost.

Out of 600 families only twenty remain in Vila de Autodromo. I’ll say this again so that its severity sticks: 600 families once lived in this neighborhood and now only 20 have been able to stay. 580 families displaced and as of 2016, 22,000 families have been displaced in Brazil.

As we were guided through the remnants of Villa de Autodromo by an advocate from the NGO “Jogos da Exclusao”and by one of the 20 residents who had decided to stay, I was emotionally distraught and confused. I could not understand how a mega event like the Olympics could be in any way celebrated, when it destroyed lives in the process. In the larger context, the Olympics had not benefited the Brazilian economy and since the Olympics is truly just a capitalistic venture on the country's behalf, they have failed even in that. In allowing this event to occur they have split their country in half, generating larger gaps of inequality and setting them back from their years of economic development.

Unfinished structure for the Olympics in Vila de Autodromo

What angered me the most, was in seeing the structures for the Olympics that were surrounding this neighborhood and how they were not even close to done. With two weeks left for the Olympic opening, they had much more left to do. The overwhelming feeling I had was frustration, at how pointless it all seemed. And I understood that these evictions and disregard for human rights was a product of something larger than the Olympics, larger than just one country. This is something that is a direct result of a globalized economy. A direct result of morality skewed by the pursuit of consumerist ideals. This is what capitalism has done to our society.

Workers constructing on top of demolished homes.

The resident, Sr. Nidivaldo Oliveira guided our visit to this neighborhood and he was one of the 20 residents that had won the battle against their forced evictions. However after plans of urbanization were granted, his home along with the other 19 were eventually demolished and now they are being built new homes while currently living in unwell conditions. The environmental racism that they have been subjected to, shows the lack of regard to a people who are deemed disposable in a capitalist economy

Graffiti on homes that were destroyed

This comes down to two things. The rights that individuals have to their property and the dignity and respect that the state had given them. While walking through what used to be Villa de Autodromo, you see broken down houses, loose bricks on the road amidst construction workers who are working hard in the sun. And on the walls of the houses that were left are graffiti-ed words that say things like “Remocao com etica” which roughly translates to a statement about the lack of ethics in the removals of the homes in Vila de Autodromo.

Remnants of used to be a playground for children

The resident of the 20 remaining homes told us that aside from the physical abuse they received in resisting to leave their land, they also received psychological abuse from their state officials. Some of the tactics that were employed on them were obvious attempts to break down the morale of the remaining residents. The state refused to pick up garbage, leaving their once clean neighborhood, now dirty, and further stigmatizing the conception of a favela. They were forced to live next to broken down demolished homes that had accumulated pests and this became a sore reminder of who once lived there and how they had been displaced.

The Olympics is an evident factor of this displacement as it was determined by mayor Eduardo Paes that Villa de Autodromo was blocking an access road to the Olympic site and hence need to be removed. Yet, the other factors that play into the eviction and eradication of this neighborhood are the capitalistic venture of Brazil and the corruption of its state officials. The Olympics became the perfect excuse for a land that was already in sight of developers. The glaring question in Brazil becomes; Who are the Olympics for? Is it really a game about unity, or is it representative of the competitive nature within each country to build itself economically by any means.

Unfinished structures for the Olympics

The common rhetoric was that the Olympics was going to help an already booming economy. This notion has now been put aside as the reality increasingly shows the disregard of the poor in Brazil and the lack regard for human rights. In the context of moral development, you can see what individuals have recognized as moral in relation to social contracts, relationships and human rights. And in terms of the development through cultural interaction it is clear that a society that praises the consumer, praises the rich, will eventually develop a moral compass in relation to the ideals upheld by their peers and their country. And if their peers and country view profit as more valuable over the lives of people, then this could have detrimental outcomes in the future

An art installation composed of remanining pieces of destroyed houses

This was a neighborhood of people who had built their lives together and now a part of that life was erased. The last 20 houses that remained built themselves a museum of memories and this museum brought tears in my eyes as it becomes symbol of the things that eventually become forgotten in the rubble. The art installations are composed of pieces of these demolished homes and pay tribute to the resistance of their fight. I thought it was beautiful how they were fully aware that the pieces would not be left standing much longer, and yet they made it out love for what they once had and as reminder for themselves as they still occupied the space and awaited their new homes. They acknowledged that the pieces were temporary, but in doing do they confirmed that the memories would never leave. They would always be a part of that space, even with the changes to come

-Carolina Varela is a philosophy student at LaGuardia Community College

Notes:

Watts, Jonathan. "Forced Evictions in Rio Favela for 2016 Olympics Trigger Violent Clashes." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 03 June 2015. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.

"Rio De Janeiro's Bitter 2016 Olympic Evictions." COHA. N.p., 27 May 2016. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.

Kweifio-Okai, Carla. "Rio Olympics: Benefit or Burden for Poor Communities in Brazil?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 01 July 2016. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.

Griffin, Jo. "Change Beckons for Vila Autódromo, the Favela That Got in the Rio Olympics' Way." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 Apr. 2016. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.