The journey into Moju today did not feature a boat ride, but a caravan along the Trans-Amazonian Highway. The highly controversial road exists in a delicate balance between the rain and the equatorial sun. The highway itself is a patchwork of blacks and greys dating the covered potholes since the inception of the project in the 1970’s. The Amazon River divides into many tiny arms. The drive to and from Moju meant crossing over bridges that climbed higher and higher into the sky before cutting downward. The descent into the rainforest from above the tree line likens the experience to bird flight. The Brazil Nut (or Pará Nut, according to the Brazilians, named after the state from which they originate) trees tower five stories above the regular line, and their silhouettes are unmistakable against the Ethernet cable blue sky.
The plan is to conduct an interview with Sylvana. Sylvana, age 19, went through the CDI school and now works in Moju. Sadly, when we arrive, we are told Sylvana’s mother died the night before and that she is not in a state to talk to us. Leaving our condolences with the family, we are reminded again how fragile life is and head to our second interview with a former CDI student who now works at the lottery.
A lottery in Brazil is not only a game of chance involving a ticket, numbers, and a man with a toupee spinning a vat of ping-pong balls. A lottery is also an arm of the federal government where people can go to pay their bills. Because banks are dangerous to have in Moju, the few that exist cannot serve all of the people. So, lotteries meet the demand.
A police escort followed us as we traveled around the city. We were a little confused because there is not a huge drug problem in Moju, however, when we inquired, Fabio told us that the lack of a unifying drug lord is the reason that Moju is so dangerous. With Morro dos Mocacos and other slums we had visited, all that needs to happen to guarantee a hundred percent safety is the condoning of our visits by the drug lord. For if a favela resident were to cross the drug lord, he and his entire family would be killed. When there is no one enforcing rules, such as in Moju, repercussions for offenders are not enforced.
-Dani