Port of Call LAST UPDATE March 10, 2006
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February 8, 2006 Rio de Janeiro – City of Hope
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Postcard view of Rio de Janeiro as seen from the Canta Galo favela.
Like most Latin American countries, Brazil is suffering from an extreme case of economic polarization. A tiny handful of the population has accumulated immense wealth and controls vast portions of land. Meanwhile, the majority struggles for survival under the poverty line. Environmental problems and a rural economy based on agro-exports have left millions of peasants landless and with minimal employment opportunities. The past few decades have witnessed Brazil’s metropolises bloat with squatter villages known as Favelas.
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A favela rises along a steep slope overlooking the world famous Copacabana beach.
Rio de Janeiro, nicknamed ‘cidade maravilhosa’, (Portuguese for ‘marvelous city’) is now characterized by its more than 600 favelas which intertwine with the urban landscape of world famous beach resorts and ultra modern sky scrapers. The reality, however, is far from a peaceful coexistence. Favelas have historically suffered from economic neglect. Dwellers lack proper sewage and electricity, structures tend to remain sloppy constructions, and most of these urban slums have developed along the heights of Rio’s steep hillsides. As a result of this neglect, drug trafficking and violence have overwhelmed such residential areas, trapping inhabitants in a vicious cycle seemingly impossible to break free from.
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The AfroReggae project aims at providing children of the favelas with a positive choice for their future.
Despite the problematic, several individuals and organizations are determined to regain their communities and provide their children with a more hopeful future. One such movement is the AfroReggae project. Born from within the infamous Vigario Geral favela in the mid 1990’s, it focuses on developing Afro-Brazilian culture through music performance and training. Hence, children are provided with an option to become part of a positive collective rather than joining one of the many drug cartels which run the favelas. The AfroReggae project itself has an amazing story, which has been stunningly captured by the documentary film Favela Rising.
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Image from the documentary film Favela Rising displaying some of the victims from the Vigario Geral massacre.
Zuenir Ventura, author and journalist, states in Favela Rising that in August 1993 Vigario Geral “was invaded by an infamous division of the military police… they entered houses and randomly killed 21 people… [from which] not one was connected to drug trafficking. They were absolutely innocent people.” The massacre occurred as retaliation to the murder of four police officers who were allegedly tied to corrupt drug circles and gunned down by Vigario Geral traffickers. Regardless, such events forever scarred the lives of many residents of the community; in particular that of a young self-proclaimed drug soldier named Anderson Se whose brother was shot dead during the police raid.
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Currently, thousands of youth are involved in similar percussion groups within the AfroReggae organization.
Anderson, eager to find a new course in life for himself and his community sought inspiration in music. He gathered friends also keen on finding a way out of the cycle of violence and formed the AfroReggae band, a music group intended on spreading social conscience through proactive social engagement and thought provoking lyrics. Eventually, the members gained recognition and began providing free of charge percussion workshops to the children of their community. In the documentary, Anderson recalls his thought process: “How do I end violence? Use music as an instrument of change. Because through music you can reach everyone.”
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Altair Martin leads a percussion workshop for Peace Boat participants in the Canta Galo community center.
During our call at Rio de Janeiro, a group of Peace Boat participants headed to the Canta Galo favela in Copacabana. Here, AfroReggae maintains one of its three permanent cultural centers. Currently, over 60 projects with thousands of participants are being carried on countrywide, including nine in Rio’s favelas. The Canta Galo center focuses primarily on performing arts, while the other two centers concentrate on music lessons and workshops. Besides performance activities, however, AfroReggae has also developed conflict resolution workshops where favela youth and police officers can share a common space in order to exchange ideas and opinions. Such activities hope to break down negative stereotypes from both ends and increase tolerance for one another.
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Peace Boat participants show young children how to make a traditional Japanese paper crane.
While in Canta Galo, Peace Boat participants were invited to partake in several workshops, such as Afro-Brazilian percussion and Samba dancing. A cultural exchange also took place with younger AfroReggae students and local community members. Altair Martin, senior member and lead percussionist of AfroReggae, led the activities and expressed his gratitude for Peace Boat’s continued interest throughout the years in the project. AfroReggae members have come onboard as guests in previous voyages, but were unable to attend during our current one.
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With Anderson Se at the forefront, second from right, AfroReggae delivered a blistering performance with Peace Boat participants in the audience.
In the evening, the original AfroReggae band performed a live show in downtown Rio de Janeiro scheduled especially to coincide with Peace Boat’s arrival. The explosive performance absorbed those present and provided another opportunity to partake in AfroReggae’s communal approach to life. Despite having reached worldwide success, as the group has released two full length discs with Universal Records, the band remains true to their roots by continuing to finance their community and youth related work in the favelas.

As founding member Junior observes in Favela Rising: “Sadly, what attracts kids to crime is clothes, status, lack of opportunities. The lack of any structured groups for them to join. Youth feel the need to be involved in a collective identity. And in the favelas the only such group is the narco-trafficking organization.” Today, AfroReggae can proudly admit of accomplishing its mission by providing youth with a choice.