Eliseu

Eliseu has been a dentist his entire working life and moved to Vidigal 3 years ago specialising in dental implants. He came from Santa Rosa in the south of Brazil.  He studied in Porto Allegre which he pointed out on a huge map of the world on the wall of his surgery. He always believed Rio was the best city to live in. When he first came to Rio he was in Ipanema but the space for a dental practice was very expensive and so he decided to move into the favela. He sees Vidigal as his new family as do I. Eliseu  is the proud owner of 5 cats and surprisingly for a dentist he enjoys a lot of chocolate!

Eliseu has lived in Lisbon in Porugal but he didn’t like it because it was so far from Brazil. He also spent a year in London when he was younger where he worked washing dishes and in construction. In 1990 he studied in Copenhagen in an international exchange where he was voted The Greatest Lover in his yearbook! He left Brazil to see what place was most important to him. He decided on Brazil and says sometimes you have to leave to see how important it is. One day he would like to experience life in Amazon.

Community is very important to Eliseu because he believes he has found his “place” the location for the rest of his life. As he describes he is on the side of a mountain, overlooking the sea with his work, everything is here in Vidigal. He loves the happy people in the favela who are coming from all different places to make the community  “great.” They are happy, exciting and fun!

In his free time he likes to go up and down the favela on his motorbike and after consulting with his patients he likes to drink tea with them and find out about their lives. Eliseu likes to help people and he likes everyone. He has helped 2 children up to the age of 18 through a charity in Vidigal and he helped a friend to get his bottom teeth back!

Teresa

The front door of Teresa’s house is always open to the children of the favela and houses a tiny shop selling sweets. Years ago she used to sell vegetables and has had a number of different jobs in her life including waitressing,  babysitting and even a manicurist. She had a shop and a restaurant which sold all sorts of things. When the shop closed she opened her little shop in the front of her house because the local children had grown so used to buying sweets from her that they used to come knocking on her door! So now she has her little shop that she says keeps her busy in the daytime. She enjoys selling things and also likes that the shop is at home because it would be difficult for her to work in the out in the “work force.” Over the years she explains how she has watched so many children of the favela grow up and now they have children of their own.  She says the people of Vidigal are good people and so she has good relationships with everyone.

The inside of her charming little house is host to collages of religious images that Teresa has put together. She makes all kinds of things and has also collected hundreds of bottle caps and  strung them together to hang in her door way all adding to the character of the place. The religious images represent what an important part of her life her Catholic faith is to her.

Teresa came from Paraiba to Rio in 1969.  Her boyfriend brought her to Vidigal over 30 years ago when the favela was all jungle and the houses were made of wood. Teresa explains how it used to be a dangerous place to live but despite this she has always loved it and believes it is the best place to live in the world!

Lucia

Lucia is 67 years old and has lived in the favela for 65 years. She arrived with her father his 2 sisters and mother from Santa Teresa. When she arrived there were only about 15 houses in Vidigal  including the one of her father. There was just jungle full of snakes and alligators. There were no lights and no running water. The only food they would buy was pasta because a lot of the land was farm land and her father was able to plant all kinds of things such as peanuts, mangos, cachu and bananas. Of course over time people built up on this land and so much of it was destroyed but there are still some fruit trees left. Her father would kill pigs and chickens, not for sale but to share with everyone. As children they used to bring wet towels with them to the bottom of the hill to clean off their shoes at the bus stop in Leblon because Vidigal was just mud and earth.  There were no roads or trails as water always passed over where they had been and so it was just rock and mud Lucia explains how you would have to test the ground with your feet before you could step so you wouldn't slip.

Lucia loves to dance more than anyone else in the favela. She learnt to dance with her father when she was young. One night there were no lights and her passion for dance began by dancing alone with a little radio. Her father was strict when it came to boys and so she had to dance alone or not dance at all. But even now most men can’t keep up with her, she tires them out! Lucia always dances to the end of the party. Even now her favourite thing to do in Vidigal is to go out and dance. She goes out to forro and pagode parties 3 times every week on Friday Saturday and Sunday. Everything that troubles her leaves when she dances. If she is sick or hurt she can still dance.

Lucia is one of 17 children and there are still 12 living in Vidigal. She has more than 35 nieces and nephews and was married for 15 years. Lucia has had a barraca on Leblon beach, a small beach bar renting out chairs and umbrellas and selling drinks for 28 years.  She loves her work because she is free to talk to people and do as she pleases.

Lucia says she has always felt good about Vidigal and it is one of the best places to live in the world. She would like it to become a bit more commercial but knows it has a lot of potential. She feels totally satisfied, always safe and respected. She says it is only unsafe when you make trouble for other people. Lucia loves her unique view overlooking the ocean with the jungle at her side. Sometimes she even sleeps up on her roof. There are even little monkeys which come to eat out of her hand.

The view from Lucia's roof top.

Helena

When I first noticed the Brecho (vintage shop) in Vidigal I was astonished. It was like being in Brick Lane in London walking into a quirky jumble of collectables. A favela vintage shop is something I never thought that I would see. Helena the owner of the shop is someone despite not knowing me at all has always greeted me with great enthusiasm, she is a walking advert for the welcoming nature of people living here in the favela.

Helena is 50 years old and has always lived in Vidigal she explains how different it was and how much it has changed. She has 2 children aged 16 and 25 and is a proud grandmother. She has had many jobs in her life including waxing, hairdressing and manicures. Her clients would give her things and so she started her vintage shop in her living room she says “it just grew from there.” Now Helena has had her shop for 5 years. It used to be her father’s mechanic shop. Everyone knew her father as she says he was the best mechanic.

Helena sells all sorts of things from clothes to tables and sewing machines. The shop is a haven of old nik naks and clothes. She loves her job and does it with love. She even loves going on the bus to collect things to sell.  Lots of the items in the shop are given by clients but she also buys things to sell on.  Helena often rents out clothes to the theatre for performances and many foreigners come to see her shop to take pictures or buy things but they are never sold things at a higher price. Helena treats all her customers the same and there are a lot of bargains to be had!

The community is very important to Helena she explains there is always someone to help you. Everyone helps everyone. If you were to disappear there would always be people to look for you because anyone who lives here is already a part of the community. It is a warm place where the people are open to new people. Anyone from anywhere can come to Vidigal and in Helena’s words be “hugged”. She would love to see more people invest into the favela to produce more positive things such as dance classes, music classes and other positive projects.



Helena looking through her vinyl collection.

Helena's living room.

Helena loves to make unusual decorations for the shop out of things she finds.

O Rappa - Minha Alma ( A Paz Que Eu Não Quero )

This video was shot in Vidigal with boys from the favela some of whom are now famous actors including Jonathon Haagensen from City of God, City of Men and Broder. The story of the film is of a boy who was picking up money for someone who had dropped it and then was shot by police in a favela. It is based on a true story.