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 The streets off Praça Viva Gente were blanketed with grayish-green igneous rock. Well manicured trees, anchored to painted wooden stakes in the ground, sat at regular intervals to the roadside. Small cube shaped houses, colored in a variety of pastels, lined the breadth of the avenue, falling to the same measured symmetry of everything in the place.
In an open area next to the first row of houses, two children played on the sculpted steel adornments of the community playground. The older of the two, a petite girl with dark braided hair, helped a young boy in a T-shirt and underwear to traverse the colorfully painted obstacles of the yard. They both laughed, wriggling, content with the shapeless freedom of their play. Nestled on a series of verdant country hills in the municipality Simões Filho, the housing project known as Condomínio Crê Ser was rather homely and inviting, offering views of open farm land and cerulean inlets of the tepid Atlantic sea. In terms of innovation, the small village was considered one of the brighter social experiments in the state of Bahia, if not greater Brazil. A conduit for 200 of the poorest families living in Rio Doce Manganês - the Industrial Center of Aratu - the development offered a new home, a new community, and a marked increase in the quality of life for those living in the region. From wood and tin barracos (shacks), to fully equipped brick and mortar compounds, the story of their transformation offers great insight into the nature of civic responsibility, and the value of balanced equitable living for some of the poorer residents of Brazil. Like all great dramas, the origin of the community first began in conflict. It all started when the Public Ministry of Simões Filho, upon the strong recommendation of public prosecutor Hortênsia Gomes Pinho, proceeded with a civil investigation into the environmental impact of SIBRA, a long standing industrial producer in the area. During 38 years of steel and iron production, the company had negligently emitted soot, dust, and other toxic pollutants into the air, contam0inating the surface soil and ground water of the surrounding district. Residents living near the factory complained of respiratory problems, and some were found with high levels of manganese in the body. All considered, the damages wrought on the Simões Filho municipality were substantial. The natural environment was left all but passive - deadened by the particle debris - and residents continued to live in fear of neurological disorder caused by the toxins. With little doubt prevailing, and all fingers pointing in one direction, the Public Ministry began to take steps against the company. In 2001, SIBRA was called into a new term of conduct, ordered to adjust their daily practice and meet a list of 60 demands. Reparation was claimed for the environmental damages, and the company was obliged to diminish their particle emissions. Further, SIBRA was ordered to effectively change their waste removal practices, to construct a landfill site, to retrieve discarded pollutants, to conduct studies on the health of residents living near the factory, and to carry out a complete diagnostic on the contamination of the soil, air, and surrounding bodies of water. As part of this effort, the company also agreed to finance the construction of 200 houses, at 7,000 reais (US$ 3,100) each, for the poorest families living in the region. In the interest of the future community, a social organization was also to be established - the Fundação Crê - to see to the allocation of company funds over the following years. In March 31, 2001, as the foundation was officially sworn in, and as construction began to get under way, many parties attentively stood watching. A development project of this type, born from the labor of a civil suit, was at once unprecedented and completely new ground - a real interest to future stake holders in the social development of Brazil. Soon, the time drew near for residents of Aratu to receive their good and proper dues. With great energy and sweat, long tracks of bulldozed earth gave way to a level construction field, as the condominium began to take its first steps towards development. Out of the brush and broken ground, mortar and brick houses began to rise - 150 first in Mapele, and 50 other residences in Santa Luzia and Cotegipe. Like Brasília itself, the area was conceived of a single drawing board, planned as it were to the finest detail. The major block near Mapele was the largest and most organized, divided into seven quadrants, each with its own separate number of houses. Following the natural curve of the soil, the domiciles were placed one next to the other, looking like brightly colored patchwork from the distant horizon. Inside, the houses were small but comfortable, shaped like two rectangular cartons hugging one another. Red tiles roofs, slanting at acute angles, gave solace from the hot Bahian sun, and wood rimmed windows vented the private chambers within. Close to the top of the village high-rise, where one can catch a glimpse of open green space and a litter of large industrial buildings, sits the Fundação community center - the heart of village activity. It is here, between the large whitewashed cement block walls, that the Fundação Crê has expanded its operations, dealing with matters far beyond fiscal management and onsite construction. Promoting social inclusion and environmental responsibility, the foundation has involved itself in a variety of educational schemes, working to provide professional training for many of the village residents. A small gallery space just off the main hall, with large pictures hanging on wood display stands, speaks to these matters, offering photos of the people at work and at play. From the classroom space just down the corridor, some of the women are training at couture and needlework, and others have formed an Associação de Flores, making tropical flower bouquets from the plants grown around the area. Of special import to the project, the Fundação Crê has also emphasized the value of environmental sustainability, educating residents to the necessity of stable living. Everyone is encouraged to use the coleta seletiva - the red, yellow, and green recycle bins littered around the site. Water conservation is also promoted, rainwater being the primary source for washing clothes, flushing toilets, and taking a shower. Also, a state of the art sanitation system has recently been constructed, turning sewer discharge into gray water in an effort to irrigate the compounds large rectangular public garden. Just a few months prior, with most of the houses completed at the main Condomínio Crê Ser site, the foundation took a giant leap into maturity. On February, 16, 2006, the community experienced its official inauguration, heralding a long advance from the leveled sand mounds that existed just a few years before. One of the oldest residents, Joana, who had lived in a wood a tin shanty for all of her life, took the podium saying "My dream, one day, was to take a shower." For many, it was the realization of dream, be it a simple one. Today, the Condomínio Crê Ser is all but complete. Driving through the industrial district of Aratu, past farm houses camouflaged by heavy brush, past shaky tin outbuildings, past scrappy dogs rolling in the dust trying to escape the summer heat, you might just come upon the new community. Buildings are not yet well worn or lived in, and there is an intensity about the place that speaks of new life. If you visit, you may just catch a glimpse of four shirtless men, listening to Brazilian classics on their radio, playing dominoes in the front yard. You may meet Neah, with dark braids and white sandals, standing next to house number 83. Or you may find Rodrigo busily laying some tile, putting the finishing touches on his self-designed kitchen. Despite these niceties, life in the Condomínio Crê Ser is far from ideal. Residents still struggle with the daily limitations of poverty. Work is hard to find, in spite of the efforts of the foundation, and the education of new generations is a constant battle. As with all the social obstacles of Brazil, a utopia remains far out of reach and the answers, as yet, are not easy in coming. What the project does offer, however, is a glimpse into what hard work in the public interest can provide. The inhabitants of Crê Ser have benefited markedly from a basic improvement in their residential infrastructure. Running water, electricity, sound walls and a secure roof, these small advancements have led to a vast improvement in their quality of life. For many, a new feeling seems to have replaced the soot and dust of years past, and there is now a real sense of stewardship, optimism, and hope mirrored in their eyes. On a wood stand next to the Praça Viva Gente, next to the playground and the laughing kids, there hangs a sign. "Não sabendo que era impossível ele foi e fez," it reads. Not knowing it was impossible, he went and did it. For the residents of Condomínio Crê Ser, and for all of Brazil, it is a lesson well worth learning. Leon Robadey is a student of Anthropology, currently working out of Washington D.C. From the temperate beaches of Salvador, to the Guarani villages of Espírito Santo, he continues to quest after the heart and soul of his Brazilian roots. He can be reached on his blog email, at
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Yes, all very nice; but just you wait and see how long it takes them to turn it into a
fully-fledged s**t heap! Why do we need to put up with all these poor people?