A Draft of Violence in Brazilian Cities
The causes of this particular conflict dynamic seen in Brazilian communities - favelas - are so many, peculiar, hardly defined. They are dense, diverse, rooted in pillars of social, economic, political disarrangements. They are misunderstood, forgotten, reawakened, uncared, poorly researched, sometimes even inexistent. The recurrent magnitude of the conflict simply lost its reasons to be, to exist. After decades and decades, it just is.
The struggle for power, drugs, money, greed, grievance, the urge, respected? Is it all of it? Questions in midst of a densely corrupted system, distorted stories are news, facts are lost, prejudice rises and justice … Well, what is justice? The biased subjective notion of justice roles over the causes of this never ending conflict, when in direct confrontation with the state, and/or rival groups, loved ones are lost and a ravaging feeling of revenge and the obsessive pursuit of "justice" becomes protagonist. And then in a snow ball effect, conflict escaltes to a point where those in it don't even know anymore the reasons "whys", but move on determined on achieving the goal of "winning".
Urban conflicts in Brazil's big cities will never end, unless people simply stop dying for no reason. The many reasons pointed out as causes of violence here in Brazil are all, but also none. There is a strong feeling of discouragement when talking about peace in such complex realities. Yet. Here, we still hear the word peace.
