Lloyd, M. (2003, November). “Drug War, set to a samba beat.” The Boston Globe, A,18.

OVERVIEW

In the mid-1980s, there was a surge in the demand for cocaine. In response to that demand, drug trafficking became a profitable business in many Latin American countries including Brazil. With the increased business came an increased use of workers in the drub business, including children used by drug bosses to both run the drugs as well as to watch for police. For these children, born into the poverty often seen in Latin America, money and status are an attractive escape out of poor shanty towns, called favelas. In drug trafficking, a young male can earn five times the Brazilian minimum wage of $90 per month, often making more in a month than many Brazilians earn in a lifetime. However, this increase in financial potential comes with risks. Many of these young lives end tragically, and gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death among young Brazilian males. Despite efforts of former officials, such as the former governor Benedita de Silva, to crack down on the drug problem by increasing arrests, these efforts have done nothing to reduce the violence.

While government efforts have had little effect, some more grassroots labors have been more successful. Ten years ago, a young taxi driver named Jose Pereira, horrified by the crime in Vigario Geral, a poor neighborhood in Rio De Janeiro, started to teach kids how to play the drums and dance as a way to cope with their pain and life situation. He organized dance parties in some of Rio’s tough neighborhoods and started a band that eventually became known as Afro Reggae. The success of this program has led Pereira to develop another dozen outreach programs to the community. For many young Brazilians, Afro Reggae has become an alternative to the life of drug trafficking. Vitor Onofre, manager of the group Afro Reggae describes the benefits: “The band… had one thing the traffickers couldn’t offer. They could live without fear.”

The success of this project is not alone. In addition to Afro Reggae, the Vigario Geral project includes a street theatre group that teaches about AIDS and other health issues. The group also runs a computer and video production center, a choir for elderly residents, and helps its members set up bank accounts and find jobs.

In a country torn by drugs, theft, kidnapping, murder, the Afro Reggaes offer hope for a different future for Brazil’s children.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. How similar are the problems stemming from drugs and gangs from one country to another? What can one learn from studying the issues in another country or society?
2. What most impressed you in reading this article review?
3. What have you learned about the importance of alternatives for children stuck in poverty? Why was this program successful? How can we offer attractive alternatives to the power, status, and significance that attract children to gangs, drugs and money?
4. What do you take away from your reading of this article? How can you apply this information to your work?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Globalization is spreading the benefits of technology and the arts around the world. But with these benefits come serious problems and injustices. Drug production, distribution and use in one country greatly affects other countries. For instance, as the demand for cocaine on the streets of the U.S. rises, the effects are felt, financially and socially, in those countries that are the main drug producers and traffickers. The benefits and problems of globalization press us toward mutual responsibility in a global village.
2. Drugs and gangs reflect larger issues in a society. We must work not only on prevention and treatment, but on systemic changes that offer fair opportunities to all citizens.
3. It is possible to offer alternatives to youth today that will help them avoid the traps of gangs and drugs. Programs that give youth viable opportunities to find meaning and a place of belonging are powerful tools in helping them make right choices.

Jessica Teague cCYS