testmeat photoblog

last week i went on a tour of rocinha favela - the largest favela in rio de janeiro. part of me felt a little uncomfortable with the idea, as i didn't want it to be like going to a zoo full of poor people. but from everything i'd heard, the tours do have a positive impact in the communities, a lot of the guides are from the favelas themselves, and the money (or at least some of it) is put into various volunteer work that goes on there. the tour itself was fascinating - experiencing people living in a very different way to what i'd consider common. having said that, it wasn't like visiting a dirty, depressing slum. we passed plenty of houses that had tv glows emanating out of them, spotted a few computers being used and even saw a a family watching a portuguese-dubbed simpsons episode. the one where homer becomes a stonecutter since you asked. parts of the tour felt pretty orchestrated, other parts felt more realistic, but overall i thought it was a worthwhile and interesting experience. i took this on one of the more orchestrated sections, where we just happened to pass four kids with drum sticks and buckets who just happened to play us a number. still, it gave me a good opportunity to try out my new lens so that was cool with me.

here's the original