February 8, 2013
Should one sporting event mean losing your home? In one small but valuable corner of Rio the answer is a very loud: No.
“Without a home you have nothing. And Vila Autódromo is my home, my life is here. If they take my home, they take my identity, my past.”
Altair Guimarães has been displaced from Rio’s favelas before in his life because of the city’s booming growth. But today he is leading the protests in the Vila Autódromo favela which stands in the path of the 2016 Olympic Park site.
We will follow Altair as he rallies his community and fights with the mayor to defend his home and the homes of thousands of fellow favela residents while everyday they face the thunderous approach of the Olympic Games.
Brazil is busy preparing for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. The country is upgrading its infrastructure, building new arenas, and has plans for a vast new Olympic Park.
In the path of all of these changes are the sprawling favelas, home to an estimated 170,000 people. Many of these areas have already been demolished but many others still stand in the path of construction.
It is estimated that approximately one-fifth of the city’s population lives in these areas and will be permanently displaced for these two sporting events; 8,000 people have already been evicted.
Source: Al Jazeera
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