How is life like in a favela in Rio de Janeiro o Sao Paulo?

Question

How is life like in a favela in Rio de Janeiro o Sao Paulo?

Answer 1

These books helped me to understand this topic:

Child of the Dark by Carolina Maria de Jesus

Samba by Alma Guillermoprieto

Answer 2

Favela, meaning slums or shantytown, is a Portuguese language term derived from Morro da Favela, a hill in Rio de Janeiro which doesn't exist anymore, where they first appeared at the end of the 19th century. Hundreds of favelas exist both in Rio and São Paulo, with literally millions of poor inhabitants. Therefore, life is generally full of deprivation, with limited access to public services, such as plumbing, treated water, sewers, hospitals, schools, telecommunications, paved roads, garbage collection, public illumination, etc. The type of dwelling will depend on the favela, because there are "poorest among the poor" favelas, where dwellings are made of little more that a patchwork of tin, discarded wood and cardboard; and "rich" favelas, some having quite well constructed brick-and-mortar buildings (such as Rocinha, in Rio). Regarding violence, favelas are, of course, breeding grounds for drug dealers, criminals of all sorts, and many favelas in Rio are subjected to drug lords and their gangs, with almost daily shootings, fights with police, etc. Homicide rates are much higher than in well-to-do sections of the city. However, in most favelas life is close to normal for 90% of its inhabitants, who are hard workers in the city, and the people who live there get used with its peculiarities. For many inhabitants of the favelas, despite their squalor and inadequacy they are much better than their former residences, usually in very poor cities or rural zone of the Northeast. Furthermore, most favelas have also many places for drinking and eating out, partying and dancing the samba and axé, the merry and hot Brazilian rhythms, besides rock, rap and rave parties, so that some tourists wish to visit them. I do not recommend that foreign tourists do this on their own, though, it really can be very dangerous, unless a special and cognizant local guide is involved.