Renato reflects on the growth of Brazil’s favelas, linking it to cultural, social and economic factors. Whilst expressing concern about the consequences of overpopulation, he refrains from judging the choices of the people who live there.

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Ecco la trascrizione completa del video:

ROBERTA: «So, we are with Renato. We are talking about favelas and we are talking about the growing rate of the favelas. So, say again the percentage.»
RENATO: «Ok. Actually, the growing rate of favelas in the last ten years, according to some studies, it is more or less 5%. Meanwhile, the growth of the entire city of Rio de Janeiro is just 1%. So, favela is growing five times more than the city. So, what happens? You have like a really huge island of favela rising over the city. The other neighborhoods getting smaller. And, of course, why the favelas are growing?»
ROBERTA: «Three reasons.»
RENATO: «There are several reasons. I will just talk about some of them. One of the reasons is because people really like… they don’t like to use that much condoms and mostly because of religion belief. And also, they just don’t like the rubber. Another problem is that there was some research about the favelas that in some of them, there is a female pride of having as many children as they can. And another reason that in the last years, the government was supplying more or less, not a scholarship, but an assistance for those who are really poor but having a child. So, when you have a child, you receive this help from the government. So, their families exploded. It was more or less just like the old times in Brazil, the beginning of the last century. Like families with 5, 6, 8, 10 kids. That’s it.»
ROBERTA: «And how do you feel about it?»
RENATO: «It’s so strange because I came from a place and I have instruction, I have another educational level. So, I can’t assume my mind to the other people. So, it’s totally different level of culture. And from my view, I think I’m right. From their view, they think they’re right. So, that’s it. But actually, it seems like they don’t care. Just like the way that they live, it’s okay for them. So, basically, it’s the way that I feel like I don’t, I’m not feel comfortable to say like, oh, they should do this or they’re wrong or they’re right. It’s just the way it is, the way that they feel it, they do, they behave. But of course, someday in all, basically, all the poor countries, like we face some problems because with a lot of people, like you have to build houses, you need infrastructure, you need material to build the places, you need food, you need all logistics that in some cities, it’s already collapsing and making the, you’re making even more expensive the real estate, the cost of living. So, you are actually, you are turning everything more poor because you’re raising the price of everything since there is more people living in the same place. Because people like in Brazil, like they don’t want to go to the suburbs or to the middle or small cities. Most of the people nowadays want to go back to the big centers. There was a time, like 15 years ago, people are going like to the cities with 500,000 people. Nowadays, it’s not like this. The movement, according to Geographic, according to IBGE, they’re moving back to the big cities. That’s it. Ciao!»

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