With the 2014 World Cup rapidly approaching, 170,000 residents of Brazil's favelas are being forced to relocate to provide room for infrastructure projects that will cater to the hundreds of thousands of spectators expected to attend. Many of the families who will be affected have lived in the favelas all their lives; losing their homes will mean losing their identity and a significant part of their past.
While demonstrations and riots have become a common occurrence in the streets, one group of protesters in Rio de Janeiro is trying a new approach. They call themselves Occupy Cabral and instead of protesting in front of the parliament building, this group decided to bring the demonstration to the doorstep of Rio de Janeiro Governor Sergio Cabral.
In recent days, the Occupy Cabral movement, has spread to other parts of the country and its members hope that this type of peaceful demonstration will bring about more effective change—including a better solution for relocated residents, better educational facilities for favela children, and the immediate resignation of Governor Cabral due to his alleged poor management of the World Cup preparation.
