Rocinha hillside collapse!

The black remnant community of Pelourinho - Salvador suffers from the abandonment by the public and the government. A hideout for roots reggae in Salvador, the Rocinha community began to be frequented by a few who paid a kilo of food, or nothing, to listen to the reggae of band Bem Aventurados and their guests. Gradually, the audience expanded and the popularity of the place increased considerably. Between 2001 and 2004, Rocinha was in the spotlight. Different people, but with the same goals (listening to roots reggae and enjoying the "freedom" the place offered), packed the bars and slopes of the community.

The precarious facilities and the muddy ground seemed to attract even more the curiosity of locals and tourists interested in getting to know the community hidden behind an alley in the Historic Center of Salvador. It was common to hear reggae while clothes swayed on a clothesline, and smell the beans for the next day mixed with the other aromas of the place.

The transformation of a simple community into a "hot spot" brought benefits to the residents. The sale of food and drinks, among other items, generated income and pride for the community, however the increased popularity of the Rocinha ghetto led to the wear and tear of the place, which became targeted by the press and consequently by authorities. Police raids began to occur frequently, and drug seizures became routine. Negative vibes and the presence of police drove reggae fans away more and more.

The community once again suffered from the "flight" of frequent visitors in addition to the possibility of eviction, to make way for a parking lot. This situation is cited in one of the songs sung by Alumínio and his band "Carruagem de Fogo", whose date of the incident became the title of the band's latest album (22 de Setembro de 2003), which is one of the main attractions on Fridays and Tuesdays at Rocinha. The song narrates the police invasion of the community with the intent of expelling the residents from the place, without any warrant.

The fact generated mobilization on the part of some politicians and representatives of the black movement in the city, which made the police back down. After all this turbulence, some bizarre events occurred and Rocinha is today languishing due to the abandonment by its former audience. During a conversation with Ras Ednaldo Sá, member from the early days of Bem Aventurados, a musician for twenty years and resident of Rocinha, he attributes the decline of the "hot spot" to the poor management by the residents themselves. Ednaldo recounts that around 1995, when Cultura em Movimento (name of the weekly event that takes place in Rocinha) began, there was a social concern. The food collected at the entrance was distributed to the community and there was interaction between the residents and the event.

Over time, tickets began to be paid in cash and unfortunately the social factor was set aside. "It became every man for himself". Perhaps the lack of a sense of collectivity was the cause of the weakening of Rocinha's primary essence. They say the place received this name due to the variety of fruits that grew in its orchard, at the beginning of its formation, when it began to be inhabited by black people who worked in the vicinity of the city center.

Currently the community excluded from the Historic Center of Salvador revitalization project suffers harshly: with no access to any type of infrastructure and a lack of basic sanitation. The relationship between Rocinha and reggae is interesting, both symbolize resistance to the socio-economic exclusion of the black population, and at the same time are treated as insignificant by much of society.

There is no expectation regarding government initiatives for the improvement of the community, strangely abandoned and camouflaged in one of the most visited tourist spots in the city.