Friend Sabika had mentioned in multiple occasions that I have to contact Blacky when I get to Rio. Blacky grew up in a favela, and has started early to get involved in music, painting, drawing and graffiti. With the time, he has become really good and known, what often brings him to the festivals around Europe. In one of those he had met Sabika, who was later fascinated with the tour he gave her around Rio when she went for a visit. Although he doesn’t live in a favela for a while now, the business still takes him there. Graffiti in general are really popular in Brazil, and especially in favelas. Usually the orders come from the local businessmen who need the advertisement, but not so rarely the local “bosses” who like to see graffiti in honor of their gang, or in the honor of deceased members.
After meeting Blacky, it really doesn’t take long to feel like you’ve known him for ages. You can instantly see when someone is really easy-going and relaxed. After meeting, we went towards the favela “Parque dos Missoes” in the north of the city. We reached the first barricade by car and parked nearby. Barricades are formed of all kinds of waste, barrels filled with gravel and sand and improvised piles of concrete. The point of the barricades is to prevent sudden intrusion of the police vans and trucks into the favela and thus giving the local team some time to prepare for the potential attack of “caveiras”, known as BOPE, widely known from Tropa de Elite movie.
Blacky said that it is also possible to enter with the local code, by flashing car lights in the specific manner, or by using a car horn in the same way, after what they would check on us and let us pass. But this way, it was simpler, especially since I am unknown to them. So, we had parked the car and kept going walking. The only advice Blacky gave me was: “When you see the guys with weapons, just behave like it’s something completely normal, don’t let them see you feeling scared or nervous”. Luckily, Blacky is a type of guy who radiates with tranquility, or better to say is “I don’t give a fuck” type of guy, so there was no need to be nervous. Also, he reminded me that taking any kind of photos is strictly forbidden and can get us into trouble. They are paranoid that someone might be taking photos for BOPE or rival gang. Although, personally, that seems needless in the time of drones, we should keep in mind that those are probably not the most rational people on the planet.
After we had passed through the barricades, soon we reached the first security ring. Those were the few guys with weapons and walkie-talkies. Obviously, they all know Blacky since most of them were happy to see him and were asking “what’s up Blacky brother”. They asked him if he’s there today to do some new graffiti, but he explained that today he’s not there to work, but to take a friend from Croatia for a tour. However, he still might meet up with the gym owner who was previously inquiring about the graffiti at the external wall of the gym. When you pass them, they use the walkie-talkies to inform the others that we’re checked and fine. However, since they all know Blacky, it was also unnecessary.
Once when you get inside a favela, like everywhere in the world, there are poor parts with decomposing huts (where I was even able to make a quick selfie), but also rich parts with some rather nice cars parked outside. I suppose that you can guess to whom it belongs. We’ve walked pretty much everywhere around and then stopped for a lunch at a local restaurant. There was a lot of people inside who were curious to talk a bit, since this was not really one of those “touristic” favelas in the center, so they don’t get to see foreigners around. After the classical ice-breaker story about Modrić and Rakitić, and my explanations why in Croatia lots of us don’t give a shit about football national team, we also went down to some other more serious topics. We were able to speak properly, since the owner spent some time working in Paraguay and has learned Spanish pretty well. This way we could speak on Spanish, unlike my usual Spanish-Portuguese struggle in Brazil. There was also a guy called Wagner, about 23 years old and on last year of aeronautics studies, what will soon make him a pilot, if everything goes well. Since pilots have to speak English, he even knew some bare basics.
It is important to understand that in favelas, although under control of the local boss, actually like everywhere in the world, live all profiles of people. From those that might dress up in suit in the morning and head for the job in city center and aeronautics students like Wagner, to various petty criminals. As mentioned, since there haven’t been many foreigners around there, they made an effort to make me try all the national dishes they were preparing there, so I had to eat 5 lunches at once. Although the prices were roughly one fifth of the city center ones, they insisted on treating us with the lunch and drinks/beers afterwards. There it has been also a good looking daughter of the owner, but it was advisable not to look at her too much. As Blacky later told me – how did our friend actually learn Spanish because of his job in Paraguay? Well, he was one of the member of cartel and was there for a job. Later on, he converted, even became a pastor in the Evangelic church and managed to retreat from the job and open the restaurant. It was all possible only because he was rather high in the hierarchy and one of the best friends of the boss, who thus let him go out of the business. In any case, still not a guy whose daughter you want to look at too much.
We walked a bit more all around the place, and with the time even I got used to the people walking around armed. Meanwhile, Blacky arranged a job with the gym owner, so he managed to use the time well. We went around some more places in Rio, but for example to widely known Rochina, we didn’t go. As Blacky explained, there exactly at place is the most dangerous scenario. As a part of pacification process, army and BOPE had went in and arrested the long-term boss. The problem is that this guy was a businessman who heavily sanctioned thefts, rapes and attacks. When you behead a favela like that, of course soon they elect a new boss. As you might expect, the new one was a more militant one, who also has softened the previous rules and introduced racquet, what is not such a common thing in the favelas. Usually, the gangs have more prosperous sources of income than the racquet of the local population. Since significant part of the people weren’t too happy about the new rules, soon the civil war had erupted between the fractions supporting old imprisoned boss and the new one. Soon army and BOPE went in again and also arrested the new boss. However, that did not stabilize the situation and at the moment there is a war going on between two fractions and government forces. Pretty much everyone against everyone. The shootings are on a daily basis, and also, since Blacky knew the old boss, he’s better not to be wandering around too much.
We’ve also went up to the town of Niteroi, across the Rio, which is famous for its museum of modern art, designed by a famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Also, together with the Blacky’s wife and cousin, we went to the natural park, one-hour drive from the city. There you can enjoy wild streams and natural massage and Jacuzzis. Well, that is Rio, one next to another the favelas, weapons, wonders of nature and architecture. Cidade Maravilhosa really.
