美国国家公共电台 NPR In Rio's Favelas, Hoped-For Benefits From Olympics Have Yet To Materialize

In Rio's Favelas, Hoped-For Benefits From Olympics Have Yet To Materialize

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Brazil's favelas or shantytowns were celebrated¹ during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games as the birthplace of a lot of Brazil's culture. Well, that was showbiz. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro visited three of the most well-known favela communities to find out how the Olympics are affecting people who live there.

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, BYLINE²: Santa Marta is Rio's most famous favela internationally because Michael.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US")

MICHAEL JACKSON: (Singing) All I want to say is that they don't really care about us.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's the man himself in the 1996 video for "They Don't Care About Us," which was filmed in the community. These days there's a bronze statue of Jackson, arms outstretched, echoing the pose of Rio's Christ the Redeemer.

SALETE MARTINS: Michael Jackson (speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Salete Martins is a tour guide here, and she tells me, "Michael Jackson left a huge legacy³ for Santa Marta. I would even say he's my patron," she says, "I bring tourists up here many times a day." But despite huge hopes, the impact of these Olympic Games here - not so great, she says.

MARTINS: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "Tourism has been very weak. Many consulates⁴ told their citizens not to visit the favelas," she says. "I think people were too afraid, and we're seeing very few tourists coming here. It's very disappointing," she says.

MARTINS: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "Tourism is a boost for the whole community," she explains. All the guides are from Santa Marta, and funds from their cooperative are given to the residents' association.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Francisco Aragao owns a kiosk that sells drinks and snacks to Santa Marta visitors. As we walk by, he's watching the Olympics on TV in his store. I ask him if he's enjoying the show. No, he answers.

FRANCISCO ARAGAO: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "Who is enjoying the games," he says - "not the poor. Brazil doesn't have the money for these games. Our hospitals are a mess. The government has put up a facade⁵ to hide the truth," he says. He can't afford to buy Olympic tickets to see anything in person, so this is the closest he's getting to the games, he says.

Security, too, is still very bad in many favelas despite the presence of 85,000 security forces in the city. This matters because Brazil is one of the most unequal countries in the world, and in Rio, at least 25 percent of the population live in impoverished⁶ communities.

(SOUNDBITE OF GUNFIRE)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yesterday Lucia Cabral woke up to shooting in her complex of favelas called Alemao. It's in Rio's North Zone far away from the main Olympic venues⁷. She lets me listen to her recording⁸ of the gun battle.

LUCIA CABRAL: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: One woman was shot and wounded in the fight between drug traffickers and police. "While Olympic organizers promised the safest games ever," she says, "in the past two weeks in Alemao, five people have been shot."

CABRAL: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "I think during the Olympics, they just wanted to keep us trapped inside the favelas," she says. "We are abandoned." She says she saw the opening ceremony, also on TV, with its celebration of favela life.

CABRAL: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "But it doesn't help," she says. "A lovely show for a single day, but the rest of the time, they are killing⁹ two or three kids a day," she says. But there is one community which has been celebrating the games.

(CROSSTALK)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: We end our day in the favela of Cidade de Deus, a sprawling¹⁰ gritty area which was the subject of the hit 2002 Brazilian film "City Of God." And this joyful¹¹ noise is Rafaela Silva's family. She won Brazil's first gold for judo¹². Her story is already the stuff of legend here - the rise from poverty, the racism¹³ she suffered because she's black. She's now a national hero.

LUIZ CARLOS SILVA: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Her father, Luiz Carlos Silva, tells me that when Rafaela was growing up, he used to have to pretend he lived in another neighborhood because employers wouldn't give jobs to people from the favelas.

SILVA: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "This is a wonderful moment," he says. "Our whole family is thrilled. But also it's for the community. Never forget your roots is what I always told her. She was born in the City of God. She'll always be from the City of God," he says.

Among those also celebrating is Sergio Leal. He runs a martial¹⁴ arts NGO in Cidade de Deus. He says he's thrilled about Rafaela Silva's win. But when I ask him if he thinks the Olympics brought good things to this neighborhood only five miles away from the Olympic Park, he pauses.

SERGIO LEAL: (Speaking Portuguese).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "The Olympics themselves," he says, "didn't do anything for City of God. Rafaela Silva, through her hard work and merit, did something. The light is Rafaela and not these games," he says, "because she sends a message to the people here that maybe if she could do it, I can, too." Lulu Garcia-Navarro, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 consulates   

n.领事馆( consulate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Consulates General of The People's Republic at Los Angeles. 中华人民共和国驻洛杉矶总领事馆。 来自互联网
• The country's embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions stationed in other countries. （七）家驻外使馆、馆和其他外交代表机构。 来自互联网

5 facade   

n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表

参考例句：

• The entrance facade consists of a large full height glass door.入口正面有一大型全高度玻璃门。
• If you look carefully,you can see through Bob's facade.如果你仔细观察，你就能看穿鲍勃的外表。

6 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

11 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

12 judo   

n.柔道

参考例句：

• The judo is a kind of fighting sport.柔道是一种对抗性体育活动。
• Which is more important in judo, strength or techniques?柔道运动中，力量和技术哪个更重要？

13 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

14 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。