Proud Faveladas: Resisting Gendered Oppression in Territory of Good [chapter]

2022 Technology of the Oppressed  
Itararé. As I was preparing to leave my house, rain started to pour down. I had to rush, because the walk to Territory of Good was going to take longer and be more difficult. Vitória is an island, so many streets get completely flooded with any heavy rain. The city's draining system is so inefficient that it barely manages to keep the main avenues drivable. When heavy rain comes down during a high tide, it is even harder for the city to flush water into the ocean. The heavy rain and floods,
more » ... every negative event, affect the favelas more dramatically than more affluent areas. The lack of proper pavement and collection of trash means the few storm drains are immediately clogged, quickly making the Territory of Good streets unwalkable. As I ventured through the streets of Itararé with water past my shins, I watched waterfalls form and propel bags of trash and roof tiles through the narrow alleys of the hillsides of Territory of Good. I was worried about Jessica, but since I was already late, I went straight inside the Telecenter hoping to find her there. Jessica showed up five minutes after me. To my surprise, she was not as wet as somebody who wasn't carrying an umbrella would be. She said, "The rain got worse when I was already down the hill and close to here. . . . A guy offered to share his umbrella with me." Getting more upset, she continued, "Can you believe that after we got here he grabbed my waist and asked for my number? Imbecile!" I said that I was sorry and asked if she needed anything or wanted to reschedule our meeting. Jessica said no but asked to use the computer I was on to contact her friend to tell her boss that she would be late for work. I asked her if she wanted me to leave and come back after she was done, she said no, because "I want you to see what it takes to be a woman from the favelas on Facebook." As soon as she logged in, I immediately understood what Jessica was talking about; she had thirty-eight friend requests and forty-two chat notifications flashing before her eyes. "See this?" she asked, 5
doi:10.7551/mitpress/14122.003.0007 fatcat:3eco4jg2rjfx7ecqtizltp5tri