0:00:02 > 0:00:04This programme contains some strong language
0:00:04 > 0:00:06With the World Cup and Olympics on the way,
0:00:06 > 0:00:08the whole planet is looking to one city.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Welcome to Rio.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18One in five of us live in parts of the city you tourists
0:00:18 > 0:00:20will never know.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Rio's famous favelas.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28These gang-run shanty towns are dotted
0:00:28 > 0:00:30all across our marvellous city.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36What our favelas lack in law and order and government services
0:00:36 > 0:00:39we make up for with close-knit communities
0:00:39 > 0:00:41and great resourcefulness.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43We're experts at making something from nothing.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50THEY SPEAK IN PORTUGUESE THROUGHOUT
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Surviving on our wits.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Moving with the times and keeping our eye on the prize.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Now many of us find our livelihoods under threat
0:01:07 > 0:01:11as the government tries to clean up our city for your arrival.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19But whatever they do, we'll find a way to get what we want.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21THEY CHEER
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Come into a world no tourist has ever seen.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31Meet a new breed of entrepreneurs that can only be made in Brazil.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Rio is a city of extremes.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The very rich live alongside the very poor.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57We're famously sexy, yet deeply religious.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02Even our climate swings between glorious sun and torrential rain.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07But one thing is constant. We're wonderful hosts, and in honour of
0:02:07 > 0:02:11your World Cup and Olympic visits, we're having a little tidy-up.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17We're building new stadiums, new roads,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21and chasing drug traffickers out of the favelas near your hotels.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24But just outside our beautiful city
0:02:24 > 0:02:28lies one of the world's greatest eyesores.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30The region's rubbish dump.
0:02:33 > 0:02:3614 million square feet of rotting garbage,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40the largest landfill site in the world.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47A whole community of rubbish pickers, or 'catadors',
0:02:47 > 0:02:50have built a favela alongside the dump.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57But Rio's clean-up operation knows no mercy. The dump is shutting down,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01and all the catadors have lost their jobs.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04People like Rosie here, and her husband Marcos.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Rosie and Marcos have seven children to feed,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23so when they first heard rumours the landfill was going to close,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26they decided to start their own business,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29a recycling centre in their own back yard.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Rosie and Marcos spent every penny they had on an old truck,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02so they could collect rubbish from restaurants and shopping malls.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06It's not quite top of the range.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42Wherever Marcos spies a bin bag, he sees a potential pot of gold.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Once the rubbish is back at the yard, nothing goes to waste.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01As well as sorting and recycling plastics, cardboard, cans
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and scrap metal, Rosie and Marcos also recycle food waste.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12And it's not just pigs, chickens or dogs that get the spoils.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Rosie and Marcos live in the yard in a wooden shack,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50which they share with five of their seven kids.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54It's got everything a family needs, but it isn't waterproof.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56And with winter rains only a few months away,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Rosie has started work on a dream.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02A proper brick house for her family.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Rosie's favela, Gramacho Gardens, has been devastated
0:07:35 > 0:07:36by the closure of the dump.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Dump workers have been promised thousands of pounds
0:07:42 > 0:07:43of government compensation,
0:07:43 > 0:07:48but so far lots of them, Rosie included, haven't seen a penny.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55The dump isn't the only victim of Rio's clean-up operation.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00There are around 1,000 favelas, dotted throughout the city,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02most run by drug-trafficking gangs.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08One by one, the government are driving out the gangs
0:08:08 > 0:08:10and installing new favela police.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16So far they have reduced guns and crime on the street,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19but Rio's police are real party poopers.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32One of the most popular freedoms of our gang-controlled favelas
0:08:32 > 0:08:34are our all-night parties.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39We call them 'bailes'. We even have our own style of music.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44It's called baile funk. It's not for the faint-hearted.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46CHEERING
0:08:54 > 0:08:59On stage is one of funk's first female stars, Juliana Forgosa,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03famous for her special brand of feisty favela feminism.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19In the audience is Thamy Delicia, a rising star in the baile funk scene.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39These explicit baile funk singers are aiming to empower women,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41favela style.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Though they are not to everyone's taste.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54Thamy lives in a favela called Rio Das Pedras, near her parents.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56They're deeply traditional,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58and don't approve of her career
0:09:58 > 0:10:00as a raunchy funk singer of funkeira.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Most mother-daughter relationships have moments of tension,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13but being the evangelical mother of a funkeira
0:10:13 > 0:10:15presents a special challenge.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Approve or not, there's a lot of work goes into Thamy Delicia.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24As well as her hair and nail extensions, there's her physique,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28which for funkeiras is all about big bums and big legs.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45All the dance routines for Thamy's shows are designed
0:11:45 > 0:11:48to show off her perfect funkeira physique.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02To you, all this bottom shaking may look a bit one-note,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05but if you're young and from the favelas, that's the style.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Thamy's mum comes to work every day at this bus station
0:12:27 > 0:12:29selling home-made sandwiches and drinks.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Thamy doesn't intend to follow in her mum's footsteps in any way.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07Like Thamy's family, nearly all of us practice some sort of religion.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Catholicism and Evangelical Christianity rub shoulders
0:13:11 > 0:13:14with Afro-Brazilian religions like Candomble and Umbanda,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18so there's a religious festival of some kind every other week.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22One of our favourites in Rio is St George's Day.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Patron saint of Portugal and England,
0:13:24 > 0:13:30Rio's Sao Jorge day puts our European cousins to shame.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51And perhaps the best thing about having faith is just that,
0:13:51 > 0:13:52it gives us faith.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Faith that tomorrow will be a beautiful day,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00that we'll sell more snacks to the tourists,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02that the sea will give up her treasure
0:14:02 > 0:14:04if we ask her nicely enough.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Jorge rakes the sand on Rio's beaches for gold jewellery,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30lost by decades of tourists.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36He was bitten by the gold rush bug 30 years ago, and has raised
0:14:36 > 0:14:40a family on the proceeds. He still loves every minute of it.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41OK, so there isn't a jackpot every day.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44But the important thing is to keep the faith.
0:16:19 > 0:16:27HE SINGS
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Jorge is a favela entrepreneur.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53He works the hours he chooses,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and supports his family without taking orders from anyone.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03There are favela entrepreneurs everywhere you look in Rio.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Selling bikinis on the beach, cutting hair in the favelas,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09or slaking thirsts in the traffic jams.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13It's another one of our favela freedoms.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18Beyond government regulation, favela entrepreneurs don't have
0:17:18 > 0:17:21to fill out any forms, or get permits.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24They can just get on with making a profit.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Rosie and Marcos are very successful favela entrepreneurs.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35They're giving the orders now.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Well, Rosie is, anyway...
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Rosie's business is a lifeline to her workers,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52and their jobs come with all sorts of benefits.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16But right now, money's tight, winter's coming
0:18:16 > 0:18:18and construction on the new house has halted.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21They urgently need to sell some recycling.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Rosie's buyers are all men, and it's traditional for them
0:19:27 > 0:19:30to deal with another man. In this case, Marcos.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36But working that way is a bit like having one hand
0:19:36 > 0:19:37tied behind her back.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Rosie may moan about Marcos,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08but it was his gentle nature that first attracted her to him.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Five of Rosie's seven children are from her previous husband,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14a very different kind of man.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40At first glance,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Gramacho may not look like the ideal place to raise your family,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48but if Rosie's kids want for anything, they don't realise it.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10And no childhood is complete without an ice cream van.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02When it comes to the big celebrations,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Rosie and Marcos love to pull out all the stops.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22It may be life on a landfill, but Rosie feels blessed
0:23:22 > 0:23:25that she is able to provide all this for her family.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Until Rosie can get her house finished,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11there are seven of them squashed together in the shack.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15It may not be dry, but it is warm.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03There are winners and losers in our World Cup and Olympic preparations.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06For every job lost at the dump,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09there will be more tourist dollars to chase on the beaches.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14And people are coming to Rio from all over Brazil
0:25:14 > 0:25:16determined to cash in.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Is it a bird?
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Is it a plane?
0:26:00 > 0:26:03No, it's a...pineapple salesman.
0:26:18 > 0:26:25HE SINGS
0:27:10 > 0:27:15Assis is from a town in the north-east, almost 3,000 miles away.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19He left his wife and four children to come here.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21It's a big sacrifice to make.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53From pineapple salesmen to sun hat hawkers,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55the beach is our place of work.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Even funkeiras don't relax on the sand.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Thamy's tireless pursuit of her career means even her tanning
0:28:19 > 0:28:21is approached in a business-like way.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53You guys may have caught on to the benefits of a Brazilian wax,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56but Thamy goes much further with her body hair management.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Thamy may not be famous outside the favelas,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19but to the young women from the favelas she's a star.
0:29:24 > 0:29:25- Tchau.- Tchau.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Thamy's got a gig tonight in a favela called Complexo Do Mare.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35It's rumoured to be next on the list for police invasion,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38which means every baile here could be their last.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55The hottest funk music is called 'Probidao' - prohibited -
0:29:55 > 0:29:59because its lyrics are full of sex and swear words, and gang-controlled
0:29:59 > 0:30:02favelas are the only place it's allowed to be played.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34In case the men haven't spotted who's in charge,
0:30:34 > 0:30:38funkeiras traditionally pull someone out of the audience
0:30:38 > 0:30:41to play a little game they call 'brinka dera', joking around.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58If Thamy is to make it big beyond the favelas she is going to have
0:30:58 > 0:31:02to cross over to the mainstream, which means cleaning up her act.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Sometimes the people closest to us can feel the furthest away.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11But we're tied to our loved ones.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Across generations, across great distances.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Not even death can pull us apart.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32HE BLOWS WHISTLE
0:32:47 > 0:32:51Jorge is no stranger to life's riptides.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55He has his own reasons for wanting to stop anyone else going under.
0:35:06 > 0:35:11In Rio, it never rains. But it pours.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Our favelas are vulnerable to the rain.
0:35:28 > 0:35:34Our corrugated roofs leak, our steep streets become streams,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37our open sewers overflow,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40and heaven help those of us still living in wooden shacks.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38The rains are starting
0:36:38 > 0:36:41and Rosie's new house still isn't finished.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43But there is a ray of hope.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46The buyer for the fine plastic has finally turned up.
0:36:46 > 0:36:51And if they get a good price for it, Rosie's house can have a roof.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18As usual, Rosie has no choice but to let Marcos do the talking.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48It doesn't take long, but it's not good news.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45Rosie will have to find another way to pay for the roof on her house.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50In theory, she should be due a windfall
0:38:50 > 0:38:52from the government compensation scheme,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55but she's not holding her breath.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59Her friend Nevinha has been waiting over a year for her money.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26Rosie decides to sell a pig
0:39:26 > 0:39:30so she can at least afford the materials to build the roof.
0:39:30 > 0:39:35And this time she's taking no chances with the negotiations.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46It's not just the weather getting Assis down today.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50It's his birthday, and he's miles away from friends and family.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19You have to be tough in business.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23You have to see which way the wind is blowing and act accordingly.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29Thamy has work to do if she's going to cross over to the mainstream.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32She's recorded a song with toned-down lyrics,
0:43:32 > 0:43:34and today she's shooting the video.
0:43:47 > 0:43:52There's a lot riding on its success, and Thamy's giving it her all.
0:44:09 > 0:44:14But even this new, toned-down funk is too much for Thamy's mum.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18She's hatched a plan to persuade Thamy back to the righteous path.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20A visit to her grandmother.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38Sometimes it takes the wisdom of age to see things clearly.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44With her grandma's blessing, Thamy can get back to pursuing her dream,
0:45:44 > 0:45:48and perhaps her mum will start to see Thamy's courage as a virtue.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01Over at Rosie's, the weather is still putting a dampener on things.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05It's affecting her core business, recycling water bottles.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13Even with one less wage to pay, Rosie still can't finish the roof.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18Now would be a really good time for that compensation payment
0:48:18 > 0:48:21to materialise.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25But with the workings of Brazilian bureaucracy at best opaque,
0:48:25 > 0:48:29Rosie's turning to the gods of an Afro-Brazilian religion
0:48:29 > 0:48:30called Candomble.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52Never one to rest on her laurels, Rosie sets to work.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56She has all the materials for the roof from selling the pig.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58But she still needs to find labour.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02Luckily, she lives in a favela.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26Favelas are built by their communities
0:50:26 > 0:50:29and the word is spreading that Rosie needs help.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31Sweetened by the promise of a hog roast...
0:52:11 > 0:52:15Rosie and Marcos may have started just a little too early though.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19It's Sunday, which means most people were at the baile last night.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58Sure enough, people do start turning up.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22And to the victors, the spoils.
0:54:22 > 0:54:23Roast pork and cold beer.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09That's the greatest thing about favela life.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11Being 'gente', one of us.
0:55:12 > 0:55:17We'll feed you when you're hungry, shelter you when it rains,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20and celebrate your good fortune with beer and song.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30Family is at the heart of being gente.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36Thamy's got a lot riding on her mainstream video launch, but since
0:55:36 > 0:55:40the visit to her grandmother, she's had a lot more support from her mum.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24Assis is back home in the north-east,
0:56:24 > 0:56:25playing with his children,
0:56:25 > 0:56:30vowing Pineapple Man will return to Rio some day.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54And family life for Rosie is about to be transformed.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58With her compensation money, she can finish her dream house.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31Finally, Jorge's faith is always rewarded in the end.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48Our favela communities have a saying that sums it up.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51'Estamos juntos', we are together.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53THEY CHEER
0:57:53 > 0:57:57That's why, given the choice, so many of us
0:57:57 > 0:57:58wouldn't live anywhere else.