MADUREIRA
On May 24, 2021, Madureira, this place that inspires songs, turned 408 years old! It's a neighborhood that stands out for the breadth of its bus lines and train branches that lead to various parts of Rio de Janeiro, its huge variety of commercial establishments, and also for its population made up of people of diverse ethnicities.
(Source: Wikipedia)
THE TRANSCARIOCA AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
In 2014 the neighborhood underwent a change that permanently altered its appearance: the arrival of the BRT Transcarioca, a means of transportation that connects several points of the city, greatly easing people's coming and going. You've surely heard of this transportation system -- after all, who hasn't taken a packed BRT during rush hour? What few people know is that the construction works carried out with the intention of expanding public transportation took over the sites of homes, villas and squares, leaving hundreds of families homeless in the worst possible way.
On May 25, 2011, a video (Jornal A Nova Democracia) was posted online reporting that residents of Rua Domingos Lopes were resisting the removal proposed by the city government. One of them, Inês Ferreira, said that her family was threatened inside their own home and that there was no guarantee whatsoever of future housing being provided. Maria da Penha, who came to Madureira in 1999, reported that her house was forcibly taken over by the police, giving the impression that she was the intruder in her own home. She says she never received any compensation, that the eviction disrupted her work routine, and that she feels humiliated by it every day.
Photo from the family collection. Entrance of the former house number 35 on Rua Quaxima, taken in 1999, Madureira.
Image description: The image is a color photograph of three people smiling in front of a residential building. From left to right, there is a window with metal bars and a door with blue frames. The building has a yellow façade with blue and pink details. The people are wearing white T-shirts with a black print. The house appears to be two stories, with a red tile roof.Marta, another former resident, had her mother hospitalized during that time, and the eviction only worsened her health, unfortunately causing her to pass away a year later. She said that, because of this sudden change, she was forced to live in friends' houses, and her daughter, Menara, started attending schools with a full-time schedule because there was no one to look after her. Other consequences were changes to the family's work schedule and financial situation. "It was a very difficult time, it turned our whole life upside down, and we spent a year renting and living in other people's houses, which was quite complicated. All that's left for me are sad memories of this so-called improvement..." Marta states.
Thousands of families in Madureira were displaced because of the BRT, and currently half of the stations are in a precarious state; moreover, there is a station in front of the Instituto de Educação do Carmela Dutra (Otaviano station) that has been abandoned. Campinho lost cultural buildings that were important to Brazil's history, and Rua Domingos Lopes received, instead of the compensation it deserved, a wall and pothole-ridden alleys that don't even have a reliable electrical grid. Given this scenario, it must be remembered that residents were deceived with misleading proposals and statements.
Buildings on Rua Domingos Lopes connected to Largo do Campinho on 03/21/2011, Madureira. Source: https://mapio.net/pic/p-56615161/Inte
Image description: This is a photograph of a street in Madureira, Rio de Janeiro. On the left side, we see a gray car parked on the sidewalk. In the background, there is an old building with a yellow and blue facade. On the right, there is another building with a white and black facade, where a sign displaying the number "3830-5752" is visible. On the corner, there is a red and white traffic sign. The sky is cloudy, and several power lines cut across the horizon.CONCLUSION
This story seeks to recount how impactful the works carried out in Madureira for the construction of the Transcarioca BRT were, and how much they changed the lives of the people who lived on the streets that were expropriated. Remember that every time you visit a street with abandoned buildings or a setting that isn't the same as it used to be, there's a reason behind it. Madureira is always adapting to new changes and leaving behind the stories of the people who resided on those streets, but these stories are what make Madureira the way it is today!
Removals for the Transcarioca construction project, in the Campinho favela, in Madureira. Source: Eduardo Sá/Fazendo Media
Image description: The image is a photograph of a devastated area, likely following a natural disaster. On the left side, there is a sign bearing the coat of arms of the City of Rio and the name "Transcarroca." The sign is partially covered by a crumpled sheet of paper. In the background, we see a damaged house, with pieces of brick scattered across the street. On the right, there is a power line and a tree. The sky is clear, indicating that the photo was taken during the day.Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6VpG2Qx97s
http://lostmemoriesplace.blogspot.com/2011/03/os-transtornos-passam-as melhorias.html
