Rocinha is home to 250 thousand people, making it the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro. Located adjacent to the mansions and manicured streets of the wealthy neighborhood of Gávea, Rocinha is a bewildering collection of brightly painted informal houses, winding streets, and — most importantly from our point of view — vibrant sounds. We recently spent an afternoon and evening in Rocinha, recording various locations around the favela. Our footage captures the wide range of sounds that make up this community: From the hustle and bustle of the main street, to the quiet of the back alleys; from the booming energy of a local samba band, to the quiet reverence of a evening church service. We hope that you enjoy this aural journey through one of the Rio’s most dynamic locales.
Rocinha Sound Locations:
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Location 1: Main Street
We arrive in Rocinha around five o’clock in the afternoon. On the main road, we exit our enormous city bus and watch as it makes its way down the impossibly narrow street. The street is not as busy now as it will be later on, but it is still full of activity. Community members, many returning from jobs in other parts of the city, make their way home or enjoy an after-work beer at one of the many small bars that line the sidewalks; children call to one another as they walk home from school; televisions and radios sound from restaurants and houses. Some people, of course, are still hard at work; as we walk we hear the whining of an electric saw from a construction site. The character of this street will be much changed by the end of our time in Rocinha, but throughout the night one sound will remain prominent: the roar of motorcycles. These are the primary form of transportation in Rocinha, and as we walk down the street, dozens race past
Location 2: Community Radio Station
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Our walk takes us to Radio Brisa, a community radio station that is co-sponsoring our project. We walk up a narrow set of concrete stairs and into the station’s modest studio. Two DJs sit behind a control panel and microphone in front of a large glass window. On the other side a local samba band is playing in a small room, their songs being broadcast live over FM radio and from speakers hanging outside on the main street. We enter the room and sit amidst the band, a group of young men playing a variety of instruments: drums, maracas, guitar, ukulele. They strike up a tune as the DJs provide a running commentary.
Location 3: Market
Near the bottom entrance of Rocinha, next to the stop where many commuters exit their buses and vans, there is a large market. White tarps cover a strip of street several blocks long, sheltering stalls where vendors sell clothing, electronics, pirated DVDs, and music. Cars, buses, and motorcycles whiz past on the adjacent main street. People hurry through the crowded passageway on their way to and from the favela, occasionally stopping to peruse a potential purchase. Many stalls have speakers and as we walk through the market we are presented with a variety of sounds. First a song by Ivete Sangalo, a singer from the country’s northeast, then some samba, finally a stall playing a promotion for the Casas Bahia chain of stores.
Location 4: Tae-Kwon-Do Class
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At the Rocinha residents’ association, a tae-kwon-do class is underway. The instructor leads the students through their paces. A group of boys and one girl in white uniforms and a rainbow of belts stand in two straight lines facing one another and practice punches and kicks in time with the instructor’s commands. Their cries echo in the vast concrete room. Occasionally a curious pair of eyes will peer up from the barred window behind the teacher, and he will have to stop his instruction to chase the child away. Outside, Rocinha’s bars and botecos are opening for the night and faint music seeps in from the street, along with the sounds of passing cars.
Location 5: Back Alleys, Daytime
After leaving the residents’ association, we walk through Rocinha’s narrow, winding back alleys towards a local church. The noise of the main streets is muted by the densely grouped houses. Our steps echo on the concrete and cobblestone pathways. We hear the sounds of some of the animals that populate the favela: dogs barking, birds singing from their cages. We pass groups of people walking the other way and have to press against the brick walls of buildings to let them by. These side streets too house their share of bars and restaurants; we pass several and record the music and conversations emanating from them. About halfway through our walk, we run into two young boys who smile at us. One presses his face close to my microphone and yells an enthusiastic “hello!”
Location 6: Church
A nighttime service is taking place at Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, higher up on Rocinha’s main street. The dark wooden pews of the whitewashed concrete building are more than half full. The congregation stands as the pastor leads them in prayer. A tall man with long grey hair stands in the front corner of the church, cradling an acoustic guitar. When the pastor is finished, he begins to play, his voice and instrument amplified by a large set of speakers. The congregation joins him as he sings.
Location 7: Bar
We walk to a bar near the bottom of the main street. It is getting late and the road is full of people. Teenagers lean on cars and embrace as the ubiquitous motorcycles race past them. Two small cars pass in quick succession, the roof of each mounted with a huge stereo speaker, blasting advertisements at the bar patrons. We sit for sometime, watching the comings and goings on the street. We are also treated to an incredible variety of music emerging from neighboring bars, each an illustration of Rocinha’s diversity. The music is covered in a soundscape of conversations, car horns, and laughter.
Location 8: Back Alleys, Nighttime
It is well after midnight, and while the main street still throbs with life, the back alleys are quieter now. We walk away from the ebbing bass of a nightclub, toward the house where we will sleep. Streets sounds fade and we hear only the low murmur of voices and music, and the bark of a lone dog. The back alley bars are still busy, though. We will fall asleep to the sound of music and voices rising from their open doors.
It’s great place and you’d been there!
A really interesting insight into the normality of a famous favela, would love to read more of this kind of stuff as a pleasant contrast to the City of God drug-gang line usually pedalled