It was on November 16. I would never forget it. I had gone to the doctor’s in the morning, and when I came back at 2pm, my son ran up to me. All my things were on the pavement, and half of my house had been torn to the ground. That image still hasn’t left
Patricia da Silva Santos, 27, student Where I used to live, I’m going to tell you, it wasn’t very good because we had to go and carry water to be able to take a shower or wash the dishes. [What was your house like in Metro?] It had a bedroom, a living room, kitchen and
Sandra Vargas Itaborai, 61, self-employed I arrived in Metro in 1987. I managed to put together some savings, and I bought a two-bedroom house. It didn’t have an inside bathroom when I bought it. I remember at the time it was 12,000 cruzeiros. I moved, I was living in Meier at the time in a
Joao Antunes Souza Filho, 66, builder When I arrived in Vila Recreio 30 years ago, it was just long grass. There were only fishermen and the church, at that time. That’s what it means to be poor, you don’t stay in one place. There were no conditions for the poor there to pay taxes, to
I lived there for 29 years. We brought people up there as if it were a family. It was a small community, with shops, everything. It was great, I liked it there. I built my house myself, and it was like a private street. Every year, we had parties for New Year, for Christmas, and
I went to live in Metro Mangueira when I was 15. They took people out of there for works associated with the World Cup. It was in 2011, they took us out before the World Cup, one year or so before. They said they were building a car park, that no one could stay there.
Tayane Helena Alves: We had a bar that was really nice. It was the only little bar on Avenida das Americas where people would stop and have a beer. Lorry drivers would stop, and I made lunch, everything! Our house had bedrooms, a balcony at the front, behind, on all sides. There was a chicken
I lived in the Metro favela. My house had a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a balcony. It wasn’t big, but it was comfortable. Firstly, City Hall came and marked everyone’s houses, registering everyone, saying that the favela was at risk of falling down, because the Metro line went underneath it,
Josemar do Nascimento, 58, fridge worker I lived there for 10 years. It was a two-bedroom house, with a living room too. They came to take out the houses to build a new road, which is what happened. [What did it feel like, to watch your house being demolished?] Nothing, there was nothing I could
[When did you leave Metro Mangueira?] It was round about 2005. Where I lived wasn’t mine, it belonged to my mother, but afterwards she handed it to me. We built it all with our sweat. I lived there for many years, then City Hall let us know [we would have to leave]. The removal truck
