0:00:02 > 0:00:07This programme contains strong language
0:00:07 > 0:00:11With the World Cup and Olympics on the way, the planet is looking to one city. Welcome to Rio.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18One in five of us live in parts of the city you tourists will
0:00:18 > 0:00:22never know, Rio's famous favelas.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27These government-free zones are dotted
0:00:27 > 0:00:29throughout our marvellous city.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36What we lack in law and order we make up for with close-knit
0:00:36 > 0:00:38communities and a lot of freedom.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48HE LAUGHS
0:00:48 > 0:00:51But the government has started invading our favelas
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and our world is under threat as never before.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56SHOUTING
0:01:00 > 0:01:04But if they thought we'd go quietly, they were wrong.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15Take a closer look at the favelas behind your hotel...
0:01:15 > 0:01:19and meet the people whose lives are being thrown upside down,
0:01:19 > 0:01:21all in the name of international sport.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Millions of you are planning to visit Rio in the next
0:01:36 > 0:01:40couple of years and we're looking forward to seeing you,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43but we've a few things to tidy up before you arrive.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50The government wants you to feel safe, so top of the list is chasing
0:01:50 > 0:01:54the armed drug trafficking gangs out of the city's many favelas.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03It's a process they call pacification.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06But for those of us who live in the favela,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09pacification is a mixed blessing.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Police occupation means fewer gun battles on our streets,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16but much more government involvement in our way of life.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27This is Cantagalo Hill.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30It's home to two favelas smack bang in the tourist centre,
0:02:30 > 0:02:36overlooking Copacabana beach, and it was among the first to be pacified.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Cantagalo is a miracle of unplanned architecture.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46It climbs the sheer face of the hillside with
0:02:46 > 0:02:52a labyrinth of winding alleyways, secret doors and endless staircases.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57And king of carrying stuff up and down those stairs is Rocky.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08You might also notice Cantagalo's unique aroma...
0:03:08 > 0:03:13a combination of our open sewers and our passion for keeping animals.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15DOGS BARK
0:03:20 > 0:03:23But the pride of our favela is this.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Surely one of the loveliest views in the city.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Rocky is a widower, and he lives
0:03:45 > 0:03:48high upon the hill with his three children and two grandchildren.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Sure it's kind of cosy, but we'd much rather that than be apart.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42But rich or poor,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46there's one disaster certain to strike any parent -
0:04:46 > 0:04:48teenagers.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Every parent worries about the company their teenagers keep...
0:05:10 > 0:05:12..but for favela parents,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15there's a chance their dodgy mates could be drug traffickers.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Rocky works every day to support his family,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17and he's not just a strong man - he's our doorman.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21You'll find him at the bottom of the hill, at the entrance to the favela.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Like all good doormen,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Rocky receives your delivery then brings it up to your apartment.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01When we buy a fridge, we tell the store, "Take it to Rocky."
0:07:03 > 0:07:07It's easy to see how he earned the title "King Of The Stairs".
0:08:18 > 0:08:22When he's not carrying a domestic appliance up the hill,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Rocky is tending to his other business.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28This isn't a pile of junk,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31it's Rocky's salvage-yard-thrift-shop.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35It's an Aladdin's cave and Rocky's pride and joy.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58It may seem risky, leaving all your possessions in a
0:08:58 > 0:09:03pile on the street, but no-one would dream of touching Rocky's stuff.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07It's one of the joys of living in a small communidade.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Everyone takes care of everyone else's business.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Rush hour at the bottom of the hill coincides with the school run.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47No-one's built a school up this side of the hill. It's much less
0:09:47 > 0:09:50bother just to build one at the bottom.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53But if you're four years old, it's quite a walk home.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04This is Acme and his son Davi.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09They live at the very top of the hill.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Acme is a graffiti artist.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51His canvases are the walls of his favela
0:10:51 > 0:10:55and his journey home is like a tour of his gallery.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05At the top of the hill, the air is clean.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08There's fruit on the trees and a cool breeze,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11which is a relief for Acme's wife Jane,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14who is six months pregnant with their second child.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33A baby raised at the top of this hill would have had gunfire
0:11:33 > 0:11:36for lullabies until a couple of years ago.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39And when Davi was born, Acme and Jane moved away.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44But now Cantagalo is officially pacified,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46they have moved back into their beautiful house...
0:11:46 > 0:11:50which is a lot handier for Acme's studio.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Acme grew up here, surrounded by guns and drug traffickers,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00and that life features in a lot of his work.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04RADIO CHATTER
0:12:18 > 0:12:19DOG WHINES
0:12:19 > 0:12:21DOG BARKS
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Acme only has to walk out behind his studio for a reminder
0:12:26 > 0:12:28of the favela's turbulent past.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Years ago, we named this place Vietnam...
0:12:36 > 0:12:39and not because of its lush vegetation.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48HE LAUGHS
0:13:14 > 0:13:17The government didn't pacify Vietnam when the drug traffickers
0:13:17 > 0:13:20were executing people on our football pitch.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22It was only when the World Cup was at stake
0:13:22 > 0:13:24they decided to do something.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29HIP HOP MUSIC PLAYS
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Don't be fooled by the name -
0:13:38 > 0:13:41there's nothing peaceful about pacification.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44One by one, our favelas are being
0:13:44 > 0:13:47invaded by troops with enough firepower
0:13:47 > 0:13:50to chase out the traffickers.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54And the government made this elite unit the smiling face of their
0:13:54 > 0:14:00operation - the Battalion Of Special Operations or BOPE for short.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Under Brazil's former dictatorship
0:14:04 > 0:14:07they were considered an elite death squad,
0:14:07 > 0:14:13and, decades later, they are still not exactly bleeding heart liberals.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Commander Grip is their operational chief.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30HORN BEEPS
0:15:01 > 0:15:05No expense is spared on BOPE's world-class training.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Their mountainside base is like a James Bond lair,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12where some of the world's finest warriors are brought in
0:15:12 > 0:15:13to share their expertise.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16I'm...Grandmaster Kevin Lloyd.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20I come from Oldham, which is just outside of Manchester.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Lift.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47Hold it.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49We're going to...headbutt.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53For all their history, and all their quirks,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55BOPE's courage is never in question.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Another day, another mission,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26this time to an unpacified favela in the North Zone.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35RADIO CHATTER
0:17:19 > 0:17:22BOPE have been fighting the drug traffickers for decades,
0:17:22 > 0:17:26but pacification has given their operations new purpose.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11But having the police, not the drug traffickers,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15run our streets comes at a price...quite literally.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19Now they're in charge,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23the government wants us to pay for our electricity, our water,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27even our Sky TV. All the things we used to get for free.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54And though they promised pacification would come
0:18:54 > 0:18:56with lots of other benefits,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00so far they haven't even organised the rubbish collection.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04And to cap it all, after four years of police rule in Cantagalo,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07we all know the traffickers are still on the hill...
0:19:08 > 0:19:13..and Rocky's son Felipe has just fallen foul of them.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15They've accused him of talking to the police.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24As punishment, Felipe's been ordered to stay in his house for a month.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58Before pacification, the traffickers would make Felipe run errands -
0:20:58 > 0:21:00often the first step towards joining the gangs.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Our relationships with the traffickers
0:21:37 > 0:21:39are complicated to say the least.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43As a young man from a gang-controlled favela,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47local traffickers will be people you grew up with or went to school with,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49even members of your own family.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54If you are going to avoid being pulled into the traffic
0:21:54 > 0:21:57yourself, it helps to have a passion.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Acme's graffiti adorns much more than just his favela,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09he's had commissions across the city.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33But drug trafficker contacts can be an asset if a less scrupulous
0:22:33 > 0:22:36client is refusing to pay for your work, for example.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28Acme's clients aren't the only ones
0:23:28 > 0:23:31that are struggling to pay the bills.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Our government have been spending like there is no tomorrow,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37all to get ready for you lot.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42A lick of paint on a stadium here, a new Olympic park there,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46who would think it could cost so many billions?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Some of us are starting to ask if it's worth it.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02Pacification is one of the most expensive parts of the project.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06It goes way beyond just invading and patrolling our narrow streets.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08If the government are in charge
0:24:08 > 0:24:11then they're also responsible for our wellbeing,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and that gives them the right to wheel out an old favourite
0:24:14 > 0:24:19declaring our favela homes unsafe and bulldozing them.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Which is exactly what they're proposing in the hilltop
0:24:22 > 0:24:26sanctuary of Vietnam, arguably the best real estate on the hill.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Very quickly, the government starts knocking things down.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29With a baby due in a couple of months,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31this is the last thing Acme needs.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05The government are promising to rehouse Acme and his neighbours,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08but currently on offer are homes in other favelas,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12miles from jobs, families and friends.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Land and homes are a hot topic in our pacified favelas.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28With fewer shoot outs, values are shooting up.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31They may be improvised houses on squatted land,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35but they change hands for money, just like yours.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40And now outsiders are buying up our land to build hotels.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43And a new kind of dealer is roaming our streets -
0:26:43 > 0:26:44the estate agent.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47It's not just property investors
0:27:47 > 0:27:50wending their way into pacified favelas.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Tourists can stay in favela hostels and even take guided favela tours.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18And that's the place to buy water.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22That bar, over there, is open 24/7.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Yeah, 24/7.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26And the name of it - Moskito.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30And favela tourism means tourist dollars.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42But this influx of tourists and estate agents is driving up
0:28:42 > 0:28:44the cost of living for the rest of us.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Even Rocky's tiny house now costs him around £100 a month to rent,
0:28:49 > 0:28:53which means less money to spend on his greatest passion - football!
0:28:53 > 0:28:56CHANTING
0:28:56 > 0:28:59The only thing that can lure Rocky away from his work
0:28:59 > 0:29:02is his beloved team Vasco da Gama.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20With his son Felipe stuck in the house,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Rocky has brought his grandson instead.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26This is only a league game.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Just imagine what our World Cup will be like.
0:29:56 > 0:29:57HE LAUGHS
0:30:00 > 0:30:04Let's face it, no-one plays the beautiful game quite like Brazil,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07and we know how to express our appreciation.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23Rocky's son Felipe used to train at the Vasco school.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46But Felipe started running errands for the drug traffickers, and gave
0:31:46 > 0:31:47up his Vasco training.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Rocky's called him the "Black Sheep" ever since.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00HE LAUGHS
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Rocky's a hard act for his son to follow.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05He's always up at dawn.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07He doesn't eat breakfast or lunch,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10just a small cup of coffee to last him the day.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16And if business isn't brisk enough for his liking,
0:32:16 > 0:32:17he heads out of the favela,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20looking for an opportunity to make a quick buck.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32It's only a few hundred yards away,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35but it may as well be a different planet.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42While in the favela, most of us survive on just a few pounds a day,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46Rio's South Zone is one of the richest neighbourhoods in the world.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52To us, even their garbage is a treasure trove.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55We make good use of the things that we find,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58things the everyday millionaires leave behind.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21With children and grandchildren to provide for,
0:34:21 > 0:34:25barely an hour goes by without a withdrawal from the bank of Rocky.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45HE LAUGHS
0:34:48 > 0:34:50If Rocky could only save up,
0:34:50 > 0:34:52he could make his life a whole lot easier.
0:34:54 > 0:34:59He has an old tricycle named the Vascomobile for his football team,
0:34:59 > 0:35:03which could take some of the sweat out of all his fetching and carrying.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37For now, it's just a three-wheeled dream.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52The politicians who have decided pacification is
0:35:52 > 0:35:56the answer for Rio aren't the ones who risk their lives
0:35:56 > 0:35:58marching into drug trafficker territory.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05That honour falls to BOPE and they're taking casualties.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Two of their men have been killed in as many months
0:36:11 > 0:36:15and commander Grip must perform his least favourite duty.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08BIRDS CHIRP
0:37:11 > 0:37:13ROCK MUSIC PLAYS
0:37:13 > 0:37:16Everyone has to take a break sometime.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Grip has ordered his men to take a night off and relax.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29But these guys are never really off duty.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23CHOIR MUSIC PLAYS
0:38:27 > 0:38:295am in Cantagalo.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34The last drunks are making their way home.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Everyone else in the favela is asleep...
0:38:37 > 0:38:39or almost everyone.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Rocky's most heroic job is ferrying the sick
0:39:13 > 0:39:17and injured down the hill, a kind of human ambulance service.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33It's a service he provides free of charge.
0:39:35 > 0:39:3913 years ago, Rocky carried his wife down the hill.
0:40:59 > 0:41:04Up the hill in Vietnam, they're getting ready for a busy day.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06Acme is refusing to just give up
0:41:06 > 0:41:09and let the authorities knock his house down.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13A team of lawyers and academics have offered to help fight
0:41:13 > 0:41:16the demolitions and have climbed the hill to talk to the residents.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Everyone needs to hear what they have to say.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19But Acme's not alone.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24In every favela they've pacified, not just Cantagalo,
0:42:24 > 0:42:29the government tread a fine line between helping and interfering.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34There is a huge increase in routine stop and searches.
0:42:36 > 0:42:37And across the city,
0:42:37 > 0:42:41thousands of houses have been earmarked for demolition.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47Favela activists are starting to make their voices heard.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50As demonstrations about government spending
0:42:50 > 0:42:51sweep the rest of the city,
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Acme and his fellow activists add their voices to the protests.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44CHANTING
0:44:57 > 0:44:59SIREN BLARES
0:45:00 > 0:45:03Rocky's nightmare about losing all his stuff
0:45:03 > 0:45:05is starting to look more like a premonition.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11The police have told him his shop is blocking the road.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14Either he moves it or they'll evict him.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19Felipe's house arrest is finally over which means
0:46:19 > 0:46:22he can come along to help his dad dismantle his junk shop.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40Felipe has worked hard today.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45Perhaps a small sign he's turning over a new leaf.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Rocky has no choice but to sell the last contents of his shop for scrap.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01It's not often Rocky has a wodge of cash in his hand
0:48:01 > 0:48:03and he knows just how he's going to spend it.
0:48:08 > 0:48:13At the very top of the hill, there's been some good news.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17After the protests, the demolitions have been halted indefinitely.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23It's a victory Acme had scarcely dared hope for,
0:48:23 > 0:48:25one he wants to make sure no-one will forget.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Time to do what he does best.
0:49:26 > 0:49:31Of course, not everyone understands the vision of political street art.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56Perhaps we have more in common with the police than we expect.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59Certainly we are all facing the challenges of pacification.
0:51:01 > 0:51:06For BOPE, it's 231 favelas down, more than 800 to go.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13A few weeks later, Commander Grip would embark on what would turn out
0:52:13 > 0:52:15to be his final mission.
0:52:20 > 0:52:25Pursuing traffickers fleeing from impending pacification,
0:52:25 > 0:52:27Commander Grip and his unit are ambushed.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Commander Grip is shot and killed.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46SOLO BUGLE PLAYS
0:53:05 > 0:53:09God decided it was Commander Grip's turn to patrol the skies.
0:53:18 > 0:53:24The jury is out on pacification but living in a city like Rio,
0:53:24 > 0:53:28we know conflict is often necessary to bring about change.
0:53:32 > 0:53:37The protests finally provoke a response from Brazil's President.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02The President promises to reform the government and give
0:54:02 > 0:54:04new funding to education.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12And it's not just the government who've made a change.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18There'll be no more messing about on the hill for Felipe.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21He's got himself a job, working in a stall on the beach.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52And Felipe's dad has got another reason to be happy
0:54:52 > 0:54:55in Copacabana today.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58THEME TO BLACK BEAUTY PLAYS
0:55:15 > 0:55:20That wodge of cash turned a rusty heap into a glorious Vascomobile.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00Living here, we've already survived our fair share of upheaval
0:56:00 > 0:56:03and uncertainty and while pacification may have increased
0:56:03 > 0:56:07our life expectancy, we don't know if it will last.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30But we'll face the future, with the same optimism and determination
0:56:30 > 0:56:34we've always had, since we first built our shacks on the hill.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59That's the spirit of the favela,
0:56:59 > 0:57:03which no drug trafficker or police officer could ever crush -
0:57:03 > 0:57:05a spirit that Acme wants to celebrate
0:57:05 > 0:57:07with a very special portrait.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29The favela belongs to its people
0:57:29 > 0:57:32and that means it will forever be in safe hands.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43Next time, on Welcome To Rio,
0:57:43 > 0:57:47let us take you where no tour guide has ever been,
0:57:47 > 0:57:50into the heart of gang-controlled favelas.
0:57:57 > 0:58:01And come face to face with the drug traffickers.