Julia Michaels
Declaraçâo de missão / Mission Statement
IS IT GOING TO LAST?
I want it to. And to this end I’ll deliver information, independent and objective, bilingual and multimedia, about the momentous transformation that began in 2008 in Rio de Janeiro.
Is it just a mask? In 2017, should we expect the BMWs to revert to pumpkins and the politicians to turn back into myopic rats?A BLOG WITH AN AXE TO GRIND
I want it to last. I want the changes to be deep and real. I can see that the way cariocas are thinking and talking about favelas and their residents reveals new tolerance, concern and solidarity.
The more we know about what’s going on, the more we can contribute to the process, whether we are cariocas born and bred, transplants like me, onlookers, investors, tourists, transients, or cynics.
I will give you links, original reporting, questions, ideas, images, sounds, reflections, answers and more questions. No bullshit. You won’t have to read between the lines. My only agenda is I WANT IT TO LAST.This is Rio Real, a blog created in 2010 by Julia Michaels, an American writer, editor and journalist who has lived in Brazil for more than thirty years.
If you speak both languages, I suggest you read both texts. I’ll be providing more context in English and more detail in Portuguese.
We’re still pinching ourselves. Only five years ago you couldn’t walk in Ipanema and talk on a cell phone, for fear someone would snatch it off your ear. Now everyone has a cell phone, everyone walks and talks. You thought cariocas were a relaxed sort.
But only now are they finally starting to chill!
Construction is booming, favelas have an increased police presence (and more social services as well) rents and real estate are up, jobs and income are on the increase, education indicators are heartening, frozen yogurt is everywhere, health and sewage are getting serious attention for the first time possibly ever, the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas is being cleaned, new restaurants and shops are opening, Brazilians are moving here from other cities, the beaches are policed, drunk driving is almost nonexistent, the Olympics are coming, the metro is expanding and best of all, key parts of the city are safer than since just about any carioca can remember. Politicians are buddies: President Lula da Silva, elected in 2002, and then President Dilma Rousseff, after 2011; Governor Sérgio Cabral, reelected in 2010 and mayor Eduardo Paes, reelected in 2012, are working in concert to turn around the decadence that set in back in 1960 when the capital moved to Brasília.
But will it last, will the politicians persist and businesses invest?
Please tell me what you want to know about. Meanwhile, I’ve got tons of questions…VAI DURAR?
Quero que dure. Para que dure, me lanço mar adentro pelas águas da mídia social para fazer oferenda à Iemanjá: informações, independentes e objetivas, bilíngues e multimídia, sobre a transformação histórica que começou há quatro anos no Rio de Janeiro.
É apenas uma máscara? Em 2017, os BMWs irão voltar a ser meras abóboras e os políticos, ratos míopes?UM BLOG POSICIONADO
Quero que dure. Que as mudanças sejam profundas e reais. Constato que os cariocas pensam e falam das favelas e de seus moradores de maneira diferente do passado, que revela uma nova tolerância, consideração e solidariedade.
Quanto mais informações tivermos sobre o que acontece, mais poderemos contribuir, quer sejamos cariocas da gema, adotivos como eu, observadores, investidores, turistas, flaneurs ou cínicos.
Vou postar links, reportagens minhas, perguntas, ideias, imagens, sons, reflexões, respostas e mais perguntas. No bullshit. Nada de entrelinhas. Minha única agenda é QUERO QUE DURE.Chegou Rio Real, um blog criado em 2010 por Julia Michaels, escritora, editora e jornalista americana que mora no Brasil há mais de trinta anos.
Se você fala tanto inglês como português, sugiro que leia os dois textos. O inglês terá mais contexto e o português, mais detalhe.
A gente ainda não acredita. Apenas cinco anos atrás, não se podia caminhar em Ipanema e falar no celular –apesar dos seguranças fortões da Richards e da Mr. Cat— pois um assalto era certeza.
Agora, todo mundo tem celular, todo mundo se dá ao luxo de perambular e fofocar. O carioca tem fama de ser relax, mas só agora a noia está começando a se dispersar.
Cresce o número de construções, temos as UPPs e a ocupação social das favelas, esquenta-se o mercado imobiliário, há mais empregos e a renda cresce, os dados educativos são animadores, as lojas de frozen yogurt se espalham, pela primeira vez a saúde e o saneamento básico recebem atenção pra valer, a Lagoa está ficando limpa, abrem-se lojas e restaurantes novos, brasileiros de outras cidades chegam para morar no Rio, nas praias temos o choque de ordem de verão já adentrando o inverno, a Lei Seca pegou, os Jogos Olímpicos estão a caminho, o metrô se expande, e o melhor de tudo é que partes importantes da cidade estão mais seguras do que qualquer época que o carioca consiga se lembrar. Em todos os níveis governamentais, os políticos se tornaram amigos de infância: Dilma, Cabral e Paes estão trabalhando juntos para reverter a decadência que se instalou em 1960, quando a capital se transferiu para Brasília.
Mas vai durar? Será que os políticos irão persistir e as empresas vão investir— ou seja, se comprometer com o futuro a longo prazo?
Me diga o que quer saber. Da minha parte,tenho muitas perguntas...PESQUISA / POLL
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Tag Archives: Rio de Janeiro transformation
RioRealblog turns four
The time flew by! Para RioRealblog faz quatro anos, clique aqui The first post here saw the light exactly four years ago, on August 22 2010, a day after a gang under the direction of Rocinha’s druglord, “Nem”, invaded the São Conrado Hotel Intercontinental. Today, Nem is in … Continue reading
Check out the ABCs of Rio’s transformation
Whether you’re parachuting in or have lived and worked here for some time, here is a useful tool for getting a grip on what’s happening in Rio de Janeiro. It’s a tab that’s been on the site for a while– … Continue reading
Established artists cross Rio, with an invitation to follow in their footsteps
Para Artistas renomados atravessam a cidade e convidam a todos para seguir o caminho, clique aqui “Travessias” at the Bela Maré warehouse: show breaks new ground, literally While all sorts of entitities and institutions, Good Samaritans and optimists have been zipping over … Continue reading
Rocinha occupation: the day after
Next may be Complexo da Maré, while former druglord “Nem” is pressured to rat on corrupt police and the search is on for traffickers who got away; favela trash pickup is city’s first priority Government officials have said that Rio … Continue reading
Rocinha druglord arrested in diplomatic car trunk
The rest should be simple Seen as the most intelligent and sophisticated of Rio’s drug traffickers, Rocinha’s “Nem”, Antônio Francisco Bonfim Lopes, 35, scurried down no sewage pipe, as some are said to have done a year ago, in the Complexo … Continue reading
Rio art moves
Fifth in a series of conversational nuggets about the transformation of cultural life in the marvelous city. Sculptor (and blogger) Raul Mourão has been working with grilles since the late 80s. Not the barbecue kind, but the sort he saw … Continue reading
Police shuffle: upshot for Rio
Part of a power struggle? There’s consensus in Rio de Janeiro that police corruption and criminality must be reduced. What we don’t know is if it’s possible to achieve this to a significant degree, in an environment where politicians tomam posse (take … Continue reading
Rio pacification at risk?
Only if a time machine existed. Rio de Janeiro has been busily repaving its streets, as part of the revitalization in the runup to all those mega-events. Manhole covers (exploding or not) are a challenge for any city. They end … Continue reading
Visual arts: Rio yawns and stretches
Fourth in a series of conversational nuggets about the transformation of cultural life in the marvelous city. “For a long time I thought about living in São Paulo,” says up-and-coming curator, art critic, journalist and blogger Daniela Name (pronounced Nah-mee). … Continue reading
Shaking up minds, souls and favelas
Third in a series of conversational nuggets about the transformation of cultural life in the marvelous city. In this case, a slightly larger nugget… Para Uma chacoalhada em mentes, almas e favelas, clique aqui If Agência Redes Para a Juventude works, the … Continue reading
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