I got an email today from my dad, an avid sailor, with a report on the sailing races here in Rio for the Pan American games.
…somehow our starting line was placed in the middle of a liquid garbage dump. There were plastic grocery bags semi submerged all over the place. There were palm frons. There were leaves. There was a window frame with a screen still installed in it. I’m going to assume the rest of the house must have sunk. This is mildly off-putting, but one of the Hobie-16 sailors reported seeing what was either a dead dog or a dead pig floating somewhere near the port layline. (source)
As amusing and possibly accurate as the description is, the tone reflect much of the foreign commentary that has arrogantly billed Rio as a remote, underdeveloped place. The hight of this happened several weeks ago when an employee of the United States Olympic Committee wrote, “Welcome to the Congo!” on a board in their offices. More on that here. It was blown up in the press and that employee was fired, rightfully I would say. The subsequent offense, as described by a friend to me, was that some Brazilian television programs took the tack of mocking the Congo in response to the event. Lovely.
The weekend I was a little stuck due to a banking problem. I can’t get cash out until noon today. As this limited my options and I didn’t want to get myself into trouble without friends around, I spent most of the time bombing around with a group of punk rock lesbians I have been so fabulously lucky to win the good graces of. They maintain a collective blog called Abacaxi Com Tofu. Hot. So, five queer ladies and two dogs in a two door VW. It was good times and I will miss them dearly come my departure Thursday. That said, I am dying to see my own peps in NYC. Every time I go away, all I can talk about is house shows and bike gangs and coffee shops, oh my!
One of my classmates, Leon, put up his photographs of the students on hick flickr account. We’re all so cute.
Okay, more boring stuff, at least format wise. Notes from class that I typed up last night.
June 18, 2007 PM
Course Schedule and Logistics
Impromptu talk by Paulo, our translator, who is working on race in higher education.
Higenization of Black Population
1930’s -> focus shifted from sugar cane in North East to coffee in south.
Black Front -> mobilization to resist “whitening,” dismantled by government
Not much of a concept of race -> result of government attempts to subvert issue.
5 categories -> white, black, brown, yellow, indigenous
Bahia’s University imposed racial quota. So many upper-class whites sued that they had to add a class ceiling on to the quota.
(wish I had taken more notes. Paulo knows his stuff.)
Peter Lucas says: “This is about evaluating your tool kit and what you need to ba a professional human rights and media professional.”
(this is important. I did get a good sense of the answer for this from the class. Will return to it)
June 19, 2007 AM
Kabum! http://www.kabum.org.br/ (the first in a long series of amazing flash web pages. The Brazilians got this web design thing down, even if most of them can’t actually access it)
Rodrigo Belchior, rodflauta@hotmail.com
Rua Rodriguez Alves, 847, Santo Cristo (near ship yard and bus station = easy access and cheep real estate)
Teaches graphics technology to kids from favela communities
- computing, design, video, and photography
Also three more modules:
- Palavra = reading, writing, music
- Tematica = human rights, citizenship, communication issues
- theater arts = lighting, props, costume design
Program runs for a year and a half, marketed through schools and other organizations, accepts 80 students for each program.
Space chosen because 95% of the buses in the city pass by here -> that way you can be accessible to kids from all areas.
Propaganda Video -> presented by renowned artist because Kabum! Was started by renowned artist Gringo Cangia (?)
First clip is from first set of graduates in June 2000, many are currently in the industry, some even working internationally.
Organization was started in Rio, now has branches in Salvador and Recife
What happens when the kids finish the program?
The work nucleus and production nucleus -> relate class work to the market place and jobs outside of projects at Kabum.
Music video produced by student says that the program taught him to be a citizen
Most of the projects featured in the presentation are auto-biographical and self-reflective, looking at how the creator of the work has changed for the better as a result of doing the work.
Struggle is for citizenship -> learning how to be and to become a better citizen.
Change of theme in videos -> tribute to an alum’s cousin who died in a massacre in a favela, animated graphics, “statistics have faces”, chacina -> manslaughter
Rodrigo’s background -> started doing media in community project (community was well known because Michael Jackson shot a video there, so there was an influx of funding due to media attention) His formal training is in music.
He hopes that one day we don’t need to rely on NGOs, but that the government will do the work.
Funded by Oi and Telemar (telecommunications companies), covers the main bulk of the program costs. Students receive a stipend to cover travel costs.
Work here is criticized by public school system because it is seen as sucking the kids out of formal education into an alternative system. Kabum! works to fight animosities from school system. Proof of attendance at regular school is required for attendance at program. Kids do tend to put more energy into Kabum work than regular school because they see how functional and fulfilling Kabum is and want more of their regular school, but can’t get it.
When accepting students, Kabum doesn’t consider grades because in the Brazilian system it is illegal to fail a child, so the marks are not accurate.
The space was a large warehouse, remade with theater spaces and tech labs. Well maintained and well equipped. Students seemed energetic and focused.
June 19, 2007 PM
Viva Favela, Photography collective (part of Viva Rio, http://vivario.org.br. Operates in 15 favelas)
Walter Mesquiza, Photo Editor, Rodriguez Mora, Photographer
Photo collective works to supply web content for news page by and about live for favela communities. (this is the project that Peter Lucas got the grant from the Open Society Institute for.)
Presentation slide-show -> my observations: lots of engagement w/ camera, attention to and zooming in on details, family snap shot sensibility mixed with self-awareness that extends beyond family view. Consistent theme of exuberance and play. Basic photographic language + snap shot, organic style
Focus on view of inside going out, “community photos”
X9 -> community was concerned initially that the photographers were members of this spy component of the police force
Community learned that they had the mission of showing both the joy and suffering in the community: mission of art
Strength of influence in the VivaFavelas:
Example: news of Alemão, the community where police occupation for the Pan American games is fierce and deadly, main stream media is trying to distort the thoughts of the people, VivaFavela is taking a straight forward rout
Within the hills, the violence is imported, not native to the community
Initially the reporters had to seek out stories, now the community seeks the reporters out, calling them when something is happening. Now, people are less ashamed of saying where they live.
The drug traffickers don’t interfere with the reporters.
Sees excessive police force now as strategy so that favelados can’t come down to Zona Sul for the Pan American Games.
Coverage of violence in favela only focuses on effect on middle class, no on impact on favelados. Result is that all favelados are seen as perpetrators and middle class seen as victims.
Attempt to suffocate the nacotraficantes results in police shutting down basic services like water, telephone, schools being shut down.
Favelas on their own can’t support drug trafficking because they can’t afford them. Favelas closer to wealthy neighborhoods, such as those in Zona Sul, are more violent because there is more of a market for middle and upper class buyers.
As reporter -> prefer to stir community to denounce and help them amplify their voice than make the denunciations themselves as the press.
The class at Viva Rio.
June 20th, AM – Play tour group: Corcovado
Recently voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World… I voted for it, but really just because I am in Rio and it seemed like the appropriate things to do. I think there were better options. The marketing campaign was intense. All the buses had huge ads reminding you to Vote for Cristo. I don’t think I actually managed to take a picture of the statue while I was up there.
June 20, 2007 PM
Comunidade Segura, project of VivaRio, Mayra Juca, Coordinator
http://www.comunidadesegura.org/
Web portal of information on issues of human security and news that relates to there efforts
Goals:
- be an international reference on Human Security in Latin America and the Caribbean
- identify solutions, not just notify problems
- be source of useful information on good practices, innovative methodologies, and successful public policies
- put together diverse materials for police, policy makers, media makers, and citizens
Background:
- survey to potential users of the website in order to identify demand
- consult researchers on best method for publishing the virtual library
- use open source interface (drupal)
- migrate content from http://coav.org.br and www.desarme.org
Thematic Content Areas:
- security sector reform, youth and armed violence, arms control
Cross Cutting Themes:
- gender and violence, drug policy, conflict resolution
Funders
- European Union, The Open Society Institute, Secretaria Especial de Direitos Humanos
Serves as bridge between policy makers and citizens
Team is all women, very high energy and focused, always eager for volunteers.
That evening we watched some films at Ateliê da Imagem.
June 21, 2007 AM
Case Study: Disarmament Campaign and Media
Mauricio Lissovsky -> Federal University of Rio
Media, Public Opinion, and Popular Vote
2005 referendum on banning sale of firearms
First referendum ever in Brazil
“Should the sale of firearms and ammunition be prohibited?”
64% voted no, but 2 months before the referendum, 80% said they would vote yes.
How did things change so fast?
Free TV access -> 10 minutes for each side
Brazil has seen a steep increase in fire arms death rate
From 7.2 per 100,000 in 1982 to 21.2 per 100,000
(rate for black men in favelas = 230/100,000)
Aims of Civil Society NGOs
- reduce desire for and access to firearms
- improve control of existing stocks of confiscated weapons
- research on victims and firearms
- advocate and lobby for disarmament statue
Ammunition production is very high in Brazil -> including exportation
Bill passes around above aims but lost prohibition of guns sales in Brazil.
(very good laws, best in the world, just never enforced!)
Most guns are initially bought legally and then enter the illegal market -> it is a myth that guns are manufactured for illegal distribution or smuggled in from abroad.
Once the law was passed, there were a few tasks:
- campaign for delivering firearms (459,855 collected)
(Peter interjects with comments on New York recall, early 1990’s, Christmas time, turn in a gun and get a $100 gift certificate to FAO Schwartz toy store…)
Perceptions of insecurity in Brazil
- post-traumatic model –
Can we explain the behavior of voters based on their direct exposure to violence?
Mauricio’s conclusion: Individuals more exposed to violence are more likely to trust guns, while communities exposed to violence are less likely to trust guns.
Media coverage is more directly related to fear than crime, ie. Reportage is not corresponding to actual crime.
Reportage in early 1980s was focused on human relation drama (husband kills wife kind of stuff)-> Now more likely to report on crime where the reader is a “virtual” or potential victim (business man abducted and murdered by criminals)
To think of ourselves as virtual victims is part of our contemporary experience
NRA was thoroughly involved in the referendum in Brazil, testing grounds for their media tactics.
NGOs made non-political campaign -> type of arrogance, talk to voters like they are at a basic level.
Biggest mistake was not framing position as one of change. Most effective campaign strategies focus on maintaining what we have or initiating change. The NGO argument did neither.
Also mistake of a pedagogical approach, NGO tendency to think that informing people will result in ‘right’ political action. Argument needs to be framed politically for a political change.
Screened videos of commercials from each side.
NGOs changed their tune several time in the lead up to the referendum -> first celebrities talking, then risk to life,
The Right maintained the same tune throughout -> need to protect yourself and maintain your rights (owning a gun as a right)
