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Purgatory of beauty and chaos

Rio 40 graus

Cidade maravilha

Purgatório da beleza

E do caos

 

 

Rio 104 degrees

Wonderful city

Purgatory of beauty

And chaos

a

The building with the orange strip on its top (where you can read "Prefeitura", photo on the left)

is the City Hall.

 

Feel free to send a message

to Rio's Mayor, César Maia.

 He is a tabbloer, like you and me.

 

 

Related tabblos:

"Two Worlds"

(with a comment left by the Mayor himself)

 

 

photos taken today, November 21st 2008

quote: refrain from "Rio 40 Graus", song by Fernanda Abreu
COMMENTS
Andre. said at 8:22 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
Eddie, I don’t see chaos, I see diversity and a “print” of RICH and UNIQUE culture.
But I love your Brazilian POV. And forget about the Mayor unless you know him personally:)
Andre. said at 8:24 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
P.S. He's W-O-T????????????????
Moabjeeper said at 8:26 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
Stupendous. is this th burrio?
Eduardo.affonso said at 8:29 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
I never met him in person, ANDRE - and hope I'll never do. He was (still is, because he has not been replaced) one of the worst Mayors Rio has ever had. Wish I could forget about him and his disastrous administration.
Eduardo.affonso said at 8:39 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
P.S. He's a t-a-b-b-l-o-e-r (noun. person who spends hours taking pics, more hours posting them and many more hours writting comments & messages, often repeating the same things to different people; Synonyms: addicted, undead, zombie).
Nmat said at 9:04 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
I remember your Two Worlds tabblo from before. This is even more stunning. But where are the people? I think I see one, or maybe two men in the next to last photo. Interesting the scattering of large satellite dishes.
Eduardo.affonso said at 9:07 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
Good question, NANCY. Where are the people? You say you saw two men - I haven't seen anyone!
Debdog said at 10:22 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
I remeber that tabblo very well...and i really like how you zoomed in aa bit on each shot, showing us closer glimpses of what lives the people in the purgatory suffer....i will have to check out MR MAYOR;
Debdog said at 10:22 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
MR BAD MAYOR
Jigs said at 11:08 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
First of all, let me say : I love your tabblo title, Eduardo! It would make a wonderful and intriguing title for a great book about Rio. If you ever do write one, promise me at least one autographed copy. Secondly, I remember a time when you didn't want to photograph or even discuss the favelas of Rio, of which of course my country has its equivalents too. And now I am glad you did. Because - and this is thirdly - your photographs are superbly and artistically shot. They are so nice that they make our own slums and shanty-towns look like pure hell and chaos. Yes, you shot them so well that those who live in cities that do not hold "two worlds in one" cannot feel the pain of the purgatorial existence in these shanty-towns.
Abking said at 11:29 p.m. on Nov 21, 2008:
What an incredible city you live in. All I know of favelas comes from the terrific movie, Cidade de Deus. This may sound ignorant, but from a distance these apartments don't look so bad. Maybe the interiors are beehives of purgatory and chaos, but from the outside, they look like a out-dated social experiment.
Mirella said at 2:43 a.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
Ciao Eduardo, I remember very well the other Tabblo and I remember I found your(?) Mayor in Tabblo and wrote something. That photo was more shoking because it let us see the enormous differences between the two parts of the city that now you show in detail. I cant' see anything interesting or curious for tourists when I look at similar scenes around the world; I see only poor people starving and suffering, living like animals. I understand you cannot "forget the Mayor unless you know it personally". Ciao, dear friend . I'd like to say more and better, but in English is difficult.
Chilla said at 4:33 a.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
This is a very interesting tabblo clearly showing the two worlds that make up Rio. I have looked at your previous tabblo and all the discussion that took place following your posting. I think in this tabblo your photographs highlight the differences within the city but do not look as shocking as your first tabblo.
Clearly there is a great divide between the rich and the poor in your country as there is in much of the world. Every effort should be made to help the poorest of our world to be able to climb out of poverty and live long, healthy and productive lives and it is good to highlight those needs and add to the debate.
Thank you for making this tabblo, your photographs are excellent and the social debate adds another dimension.
Eduardo.affonso said at 6:57 a.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
DEBBIE: You can call him Mr. Worst Mayor.

JIGS: Maraming salamat for your long, profound and sharp comment. The expresion "purgatory of beauty and chaos" is not mine, it was borrowed from a song by Fernanda Abreu, and describes perfectly the reality of this wonderful & dammed city. I read this morning an interview with a Moroccan writer who just visited Rio, and he said the slums in Casablanca are much worse than ours. I don't know if there's a ranking of slums, but they all must be a branch of Hell, no matter if they are located in Rio, by Pasig River in Manila, in Johannesburg, Lagos, Kinshasa, Dhaka, Port au Prince, Mumbai or Caracas.

ALLAN: Cidade de Deus is very close to my neighborhood, and I refused to watch the movie shot there because I don't think I can stand it. I like extreme violence only when it's portraited by Tarantino, not when it's real, by my side, affecting my life. And I wouldn't like to spend one hour in one of these "out-dated social experiments"...

MIRELLA: My English is not good enough to express my feelings about this situation and about our Mayor (my vocabulary of dirty words is still very poor). I do remember your comment & messages when I posted that tab, and I agree it was more shocking, because it showed our urban paradoxes even more clearly than now.

CELIA: Rio is a very unfair city, located in a very unfair country. Photos won't change it, but they help us not to forget this situation. Otherwise, we tend to see such things as normal, acceptable, because "that's the way it is". That's why I posted these pics, and I'm glad they provoked this (sort of) debate.
L810th said at 7:14 a.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
Photo #2 is my absolute favorite and for so many reasons. I am coming from an uninformed background. I have not read your stories or members comments on this marginalized community and I look at your work without prejudice. I am sure this photo tells many stories, but it's essence is the differential(difference) in such a world as this. Be it color,shape, size but more importantly human values. If it were me and I had no choice, then having a roof over my head and some shaded trees next to me, would be my preference. Just look at the alternative here in your photo and ask yourself wherein lies the "contented" person.
Yes! Eduardo your photos create discourse(debate) and that is what really matters. Not reminding us of these worlds is in itself a form of complacency on our behalf. I try to find beauty in everything and #2 has it's own form. Thank you for this tabblo! Mike.
Liliana said at 7:46 a.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
Primero pensé que el título (¡¡excelente!!) era tuyo... Aunque, no: ¡bien elegido, inteligente y poético!
Me gusta la gradación entre la primera (la casi postal típica, donde ya, abajo, aparecen algunas casas de las favelas) y las otras fotos: del purgatorio al infierno, quizás...
Esto es una bomba de tiempo, ya va a explotar. Veo estas imágenes y me vienen a la mente los hechos de estos últimos días: los habitantes de la Villa 31 (Retiro) cortaron una autopista, el principal acceso a la ciudad, para pedir urbanización. Fueron nueve horas de dos mundo paralelos, que se encontraron. El diálogo con las autoridades sigue... no sé qué pasará.(Podés leerlo en cualquier diario de este jueves o viernes).
Me duele este Río, como nuestra realidad, pero todavía me da cierto pudor ver estas fotos acá, también opinar "para el mundo". Podría hacerlo en inglés pero no tengo ganas, no sé cuán productivo el debate pueda ser... No quiero sonar escéptica, sólo me resulta demasiado personal.
Liliana said at 7:55 a.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
Ja, ja, ja...¡¡¡Fui al Tabblo de Maia y le dejé algunos mensajes...y me encontré con Gretel y viejos conocidos...!!!
Liliana said at 8:07 a.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
¿Lula no tiene Tabblo...?
WEIMAR said at 8:51 a.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
Eduardo, I have seen a film about Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.
'Central Station' from Walter Salles... in my mind it is a very good film .
But, if I suggest to live in Rio, I feel to be afraid, I hope you understand what I mean?
Now I have seen your tabblos and Mr. Mayor's..., this two worlds!.....
I'm still afraid now. I would be thankful for more information about circumstances about life in Rio or Brazil, also your life....and what can you or people do? This is the question!
GeorgePL said at 10:38 a.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
Interesting Tabblo. I like the contrast between the two styles of buildings. One thing that stands out is that the sky scrapers are washed white and the "shacks" stand out in a more vivid terra cotta brick. It's almost like the people living in the brick are saying, "We are here. You can't hide us."
Shenresi said at 3:13 p.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
So wonderful shots and extraordinary views, Eduardo!!! My sister lived in Brazil for 10 years, but I never was there. Thx for bringing me there!!!
Lifequest22 said at 4:18 p.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
OMG--the Mayor really is a Tabbloer. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this. Excellent photojournalism my friend. I was told that people also live under bridges. I can see statelite dishes on some of the homes. I find that intriguing.
Tishfish said at 5:29 p.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
Gee, there's not much room to breath in that town. Nice shots ! !
Pkeener said at 7:28 p.m. on Nov 22, 2008:
I would rather be in Hell than Purgatory. This Tabblo incredible poignant
Hhwind said at 9:11 a.m. on Nov 23, 2008:
Wow your photos tell a lot about the tale of two "cities" I guess this is what happens when we have bad politicians who have their own political agenda which is not in the interest of the general population
Chaitiamma said at 10:24 a.m. on Nov 23, 2008:
Bad politician = Hell !!!
Sirnicolay said at 6:24 a.m. on Nov 24, 2008:
Sublime photos. Pam is right... very poignant. The layers of pictures remind me of Divine Comedy of Dante.
PhotoPop said at 9:46 a.m. on Nov 24, 2008:
The harsh reality of such wealth against the back drop of such poverty. A very telling tabblo.
DocEna said at 1:20 p.m. on Nov 24, 2008:
Eduardo... hj em dia com tantas fakes...esse Tabblo do CESARMAIA é fake??? Practical joke??? ou forget it...doesn't matter anyway...mas as favelas realmente impressionam e imagine quem nunca viu...nós ainda nos imunizamos contra esse terrivel constraste...cidade maravilhosa...povo lindo e alegre...fico triste em ver a violencia e a desgraça diariamente nos jornais e tv.Hang on my friend and thks for your always interesting and lovely Tabblos. Abraços.
Liliana said at 4:40 p.m. on Nov 24, 2008:
Saiba, todo mundo fotografará / Simon, Thierry e a Alidar. / Saiba, todo mundo é tabbloer, / Ira, Maia e Candlepower. / Saiba, todo mundo faz um "click" / ainda que nao seja ainda feliz. / Saiba, todo mundo tem un picolé / e também eu e você.

La rima es tonta, ya sé, pero quería incluir a Cásar Maia entre las personas comunes, tabbloers como "você e eu" y recordé "Saiba"... Por la mezcla, creo.
Liliana said at 5:32 p.m. on Nov 24, 2008:
Tem "um" picolé, sorry... ;)
Debdog said at 11:48 p.m. on Nov 24, 2008:
did "MR WORST MAYOR" have a look???? probably under an assumed name......
Eduardo.affonso said at 6:32 a.m. on Nov 25, 2008:
MIKE: I once read there's a hidden order in chaos (we simply can't find it), and, just like you, I do believe there's beauty in everything (looking for it is one of our duties, if we want to see beyond the surface). I used to think exploring contrasts could be a way to find beauty in the so called ugly things - contrasts could be a gate to hidden layers. But contrasts can be also a trap, keeping your eyes in the diffrerences, not reaching the similarities. You talked about "human values", Nancy and Linda mentioned the satellite dishes, then we realize that those who live in these subhuman conditions are people like you and me, with the same needs and fears. That's is what really shocks me, not he buildings themselves.

LILIANA: Pelo menos aqui, essa bomba já explodiu. Não creio que Lula tenha um tabblo, um blog ou mesmo que utilize e-mail - seu nível de alfabetização não chega a tanto.

WEIMAR: "Central Station" is a great movie, I've watched it many times and I realized it's not the story of a boy looking for his father: it's a country looking for it's heart, its center. Rio is a violent, dangerous city - just like any other metropolis. But here we've got used to the lack of government, the power of drugdealers, the deterioration of urban landscape. But it's a vibrant, happy, exciting city, anyway. It's a great city, in spite of its huge problems.

GEORGE: You got the point. These two civilizations (the "white" and the "dark" ones) lie side by side, one not being able to ignore the other, yet also not knowing how to deal with their differences.

ANGELA: Where did your sister live? Why did you miss this great opportunity to come here? Well, it's never too late. Your sister may not live here anymore, but you've got a friend here now...

LINDA: TV is more important here than in any other part of this world, believe me. People don't have a fridge, but buy a TV. And homeless live everywhere, not just under the bridges. Providing decent homes for these people seems not to be a priority for your governors.
Eduardo.affonso said at 8:05 a.m. on Nov 25, 2008:
DOREEN: Rio was built in a thin strip between the mountains and the sea. I live in the new part of the city, beyond the mountais, in the West zone, where there's lot of space. But in the old neighborhoods (like these shown in my pics) there's not really much room to breathe.

PAM: In this case, I don't think there's much difference between purgatory and hell. Well, purgatory was supposed to be temporary, at least.

TEO: You are so right - politicians have their own agenda, their own priorities, which don't ever match with the people's needs.

JAMES: The Divine Comedy is an interesting reference. Just wondering in which circle we are...
Eduardo.affonso said at 10:22 a.m. on Nov 25, 2008:
JOHN: 10% of Brazilians own 75% of the country's richness. That explains a lot, uh?

ENALDO: O tabblo do nosso dileto prefeito não parece ser fake, não. É apenas mal feito, e deve ser produzido pela sua (incompetente) equipe de relações públicas, não diretamente por ele. Mesmo o comentário deixado num dos meus tabblos é visivelmente coisa de tecnocrata, sem nada do estilo peculiar do distinto alcaide. Sempre tento me equilibrar entre mostrar o que há de belo no Rio (e há muito) e ir também um pouco além do turístico, do já visto, sem cair na armadilha da exploração da miséria. Só que é impossível andar por certos lugares (como Santa Teresa, neste caso) e não ter o olhar desviado para essa ferida aberta que são as favelas.

LILIANA: Sequer suspeitava dos seus talentos de versejadora, ou de parodista. A rima "tabbloer"/"Candlepower" é um achado (ainda que prefira não emitir nenhuma opinião sobre "picolé"/"você", para não perder a amiga...). Saí agora há pouco cantarolando "Saiba" com a sua nova letra - e é pena que Ira, Dar, Simon, Pat & Thierry não conheçam a canção, para poderem fazer o mesmo.

DEBBIE: No, Mr. Worst Mayor didn't show up. Maybe I should add him to my circle and invite him...
Liliana said at 3:30 a.m. on Nov 26, 2008:
¡¡¡Gracias!!! Por supuesto, sabía que "picolé / você" era sublime, original y profundo... Fruto de la inspiración de tener tres minutos disponibles... (LOL LOL LOL). ¡Imaginá si hubiera tenido media hora!
Curriehouse said at 9:11 a.m. on Dec 2, 2008:
Great shots. Terrific title for this tabblo.
Sj1009 said at 6:44 a.m. on Jun 2, 2009:
First of all, let me say : I love your tabblo title, I love all the photos.

Just a quick post to welcome myself to this great site.




Suja
-----

<a href="http://www.ftpshell.com/client">FTP Client</a>
Sj1009 said at 6:45 a.m. on Jun 2, 2009:
First of all, let me say : I love your tabblo title, I love all the photos.

Just a quick post to welcome myself to this great site.




Suja
-----

[url=http://www.ftpshell.com/client/]FTP Client[/url]
Sj1009 said at 6:45 a.m. on Jun 2, 2009:
First of all, let me say : I love your tabblo title, I love all the photos.

Just a quick post to welcome myself to this great site.




Suja
-----

FTP Client

http://www.ftpshell.com/client/
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