Øistein Thorsen, Oxfam Humanitarian Campaigner, is in Brazil for the launch of an exciting new film competition, ‘Shooting Poverty’.
A city awash with arms and with a homicide rate higher than most of the world’s conflict zones, Rio de Janeiro is suffering from a “culture of fear”. Affecting everyone.
Besides hearing one gunshot, I’ve felt welcome and safe in this city so blessed with natural beauty. This is a city of extreme contradictions. In 5 minutes I walked from inside the Cantagalo Favela (Brazilian term for slum) to the tourist hotels lining Cocacobana beach. A family without running water and sewage live in a Favela within a couple of blocks of another family who have their own private heliport. Needless to say, tensions run high!
I’ve been in Rio one week to promote Oxfam’s new film competition – Shooting Poverty – with our partner organisation Viva Rio. In workshops and meetings with young people from a cross section of society, from design students to former gang members, 10 minute brainstorms are enough to spur about 15 story-angles on how arms trade and armed violence impacts development.
Many began with “where do I start? Armed violence is an everyday issue for us”. And pretty much everyone discussed the impact of the ‘culture of fear’: limiting people’s freedom of movement, and diverting hard earned money to the booming security business (dark car windows, armored vehicles, private guards etc).
Many also talked about the deadly cocktail created by widespread anger, fueled by the city’s blatant inequality, mixed with a mentality that “gun equals power”. As a result, those with the most weapons – i.e. the drug traffickers – are looked up to by youngsters in the Favelas.
As a result of absence of other role models, a severe lack of educational and professional opportunities the drug lords often offer the most attractive career path. Adding to the circle of violence.
And there are so many other stories. I can’t wait to receive the treatments from Rio. This will be powerful stuff! Our biggest challenge will be to select the excellent from the great.
If you want to participate check out the video below on how to develop your story and visit www.shootingpoverty.org for all other details.
“Your Story – Preparing to Write a Treatment”
The Story – Preparing to Write Your Treatment from ShootingPoverty on Vimeo.
For latest news on Shooting Poverty follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/shootingpoverty