The entire world is excitedly gearing up for the 2016 Summer Olympics, set to begin this Friday in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. While the Olympics have always been a cause for international celebration, there are some darker things going on in Brazil that should not be forgotten amongst the fireworks, elaborate patriotic performances, and medals.
1. Air Quality
For one thing, the air in Rio is so obscenely polluted that it is past the acceptable limits set by the World Health Organization and is also killing thousands of people in the area every year. In fact, more people die due to complications arising from air pollution in than from murder. Not to mention their water problems as well, the most alarming possibly being the super bacteria present by their beaches and a lagoon where a few competitions will be taking place, most of which has been spread from local hospitals and general lack of sanitation.
2. Crime
Brazil has been called one of the “murder capitals of the world”, with a homicide rate of about thirty homicides per 100,000 inhabitants (frequency spiked earlier this year). Street robbery has increased by 24 percent since April. Police in Rio issued a brochure with advice like “Do not react, scream or argue…there’s no use crying over spilt milk” to anyone who might be robbed. Security has been increased this summer in an effort to protect tourists after a number of frightening incidents, which include a Paralympian robbed at gunpoint, an armed hospital invasion to free a drug trafficking suspect, and the German Olympic sailing team coach being caught in the crossfires of a gunfight. 85,000 soldiers and police officers are estimated to be patrolling Rio as the games ensue. Another question to ask is will the security disappear once the tourists go home? How many Brazilians will go on to suffer without retribution or change?
3. Zika
The Zika virus has been running wild through the country. Rio now boasts an infection rate of 157 per 100,000 inhabitants (46,000 recorded cases this year). Many athletes have already dropped out of the Olympics on this basis alone, and over 150 health professionals penned a letter asking the games to be moved or postponed to prevent the virus’s spread. The WHO decided that Brazil will still participate in tourism and travel either way and the Olympics should not cause a significant concern, but has urged anyone going to and from Brazil to be very careful.
4. Displacement and evictions
Recently, Brazil also played host to the soccer World Cup, whose stadium cost a whopping $900 million to build and displaced hundreds of thousands of people, which invited concern from Amnesty International and the United Nations for housing rights violations. Back in January, a Washington Post article wrote that, “The impact is being felt most strongly among the poorest citizens, including residents of Porto Alegre’s largest favela, or slum, who have come to regard the soccer championship as synonymous with evictions, removals and demolition.”
Last year, members a small community called Vila Autódromo near an Olympic stadium construction site resisted giving up their homes and ended up in a violent feud with the police.
One resident, Jane Nascimento, was offered only $61,000 to move out, but claims she could not afford decent housing nearby with that amount. A legal negotiation with the government ended up costing her thousands more in debt and in the end, she was no better off (https://www.thenation.com/article/budget-failures-displacement-zika-welcome-to-rios-11-9b-summer-olympics/).
By February 2014, already some three thousand families had been evicted to make way for the impending Olympics, and another 200,000 were estimated to be at risk. The national coordinator for the Homeless Workers' Movement, Guilherme Simões, said that, “There are now around 800,000 families without a home in the Rio metropolitan area. Rio continues to persecute, demonize and criminalize the poorest in society, and it's getting worse. Many had to move out of the city…”
So what will happen to those who have lost their homes they have lived in for years, for generations, or worked hard saving money to buy or build them? How can a country treat its citizens so awfully and then opens its doors in the name of friendship and peace?
There are definitely a slew of other problems Brazil is struggling with, but these have seemed the most alarming. Of course every country in the world has its issues. Crime, disease, and poverty exist all over the world, and we have a long way to go before any of it is significantly eradicated, however the levels at which these are occurring in Brazil (and more specifically Rio de Janeiro) are unacceptable in the face of such a monumental event as the Olympics. There are many who believe the Olympics should have been relocated years back (in fact, some of these problems were still at large when Brazil won the bid in 2009), yet there are still many spectators and athletes eager to travel in person. And a large number who are enthused to watch the games from home but are ignorant of the reality behind the wonderful displays.
Despite these massive troubles, the show is going on. So while you are enjoying the Olympics over the next couple of weeks, keep in mind what the citizens of Brazil are enduring, and that these fun and games do not come without sacrifice and suffering. And we must not forget Brazil with the conclusion of the Olympics. We are all a part of this world, and we must do what we can to help each other.
