Dignified Faces
Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, 2006
Faces portray history that some are afraid to tell, and may reveal a story that many would rather not hear. Through my travels I have come to understand the true definition of “dignity”. It has been shown to me in the eyes, hearts, and souls of those, who despite circumstance possess it without reservation.
This series of photographs was taken in the slums of Recife, Brazil, a place that is not commonly or easily entered by a Brazilian “outsider”, let alone by a person of my foreign citizenship and fair complexion. These slums, or favelas, originated as squatter communities as the poor fled starvation in the country, only to find it awaiting them in the cities that they hoped would offer salvation. Generational symptoms of oppression and poverty that plagued the residents of these areas soon gave way to notorious conditions of rampant drug trafficking, violence, and ever mounting refuse. The destitute surroundings lead to domestic violence, untreated disease, child abuse, prostitution, and lack of education. Favelas and their struggling residence became known as places and people to be feared.
Throughout my stay in Brazil I worked with Grupo Pé no Chão (Feet in the Dirt), a non-profit organization, creating art with favela youth. This afforded me the rare opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with those considered “dangerous and un-worthy”, because they happen to have been born into the disreputable favelas. Contrary to these perceptions, I found myself building amazing relationships with some of the most generous, proud and kind people I’ve ever had the honor to know. I met, shared stories, lunch and pass times with countless hard working people, struggling to survive and to surpass both the dangers of their communities and the negative stereotypes that have been placed upon them. It is true that those who suffer from poverty may potentially be affected by it’s destructive side effects, but it is also true that if you allow them the same honor and respect that you demand, more often than not, they will meet you eye to eye and give you a gift you may never receive in the “civilized” world.
Dignity is something that lives within and can only be taken away when given.
This series of photographs was taken in the slums of Recife, Brazil, a place that is not commonly or easily entered by a Brazilian “outsider”, let alone by a person of my foreign citizenship and fair complexion. These slums, or favelas, originated as squatter communities as the poor fled starvation in the country, only to find it awaiting them in the cities that they hoped would offer salvation. Generational symptoms of oppression and poverty that plagued the residents of these areas soon gave way to notorious conditions of rampant drug trafficking, violence, and ever mounting refuse. The destitute surroundings lead to domestic violence, untreated disease, child abuse, prostitution, and lack of education. Favelas and their struggling residence became known as places and people to be feared.
Throughout my stay in Brazil I worked with Grupo Pé no Chão (Feet in the Dirt), a non-profit organization, creating art with favela youth. This afforded me the rare opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with those considered “dangerous and un-worthy”, because they happen to have been born into the disreputable favelas. Contrary to these perceptions, I found myself building amazing relationships with some of the most generous, proud and kind people I’ve ever had the honor to know. I met, shared stories, lunch and pass times with countless hard working people, struggling to survive and to surpass both the dangers of their communities and the negative stereotypes that have been placed upon them. It is true that those who suffer from poverty may potentially be affected by it’s destructive side effects, but it is also true that if you allow them the same honor and respect that you demand, more often than not, they will meet you eye to eye and give you a gift you may never receive in the “civilized” world.
Dignity is something that lives within and can only be taken away when given.
