Greetings from the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, the epicenter of the “Zika” crisis. I know there has been a lot of recent media attention on the Zika virus. For those of you that have not heard, Zika is a mosquito born virus similar to Dengue and Chickununga that is very common here in Brazil. In Recife, nearly everyone has had Zika. However, there has been recent concern that the virus is linked to an epidemic of microcyphius among newborns (causing deformed brains and shrunken heads). 35% of all reported microcyphius cases within Brazil are from our state. Contrary to what the media is spreading, there are conflicting opinions on weather or not these deformities are linked to Zika. Zika has been around for centuries, so if in fact these birth defects are related, it is due to a mutation in the virus. Some doctors (and many locals in Recife) instead believe the microcyphius is being caused by a government program that added a pesticide to drinking water tanks in hopes of stopping the development of mosquito larva. Unfortunately because the northeast of Brazil is known for being poor and uneducated, much more experimental testing is conducted here than in other regions of Brazil. Either way, a dear friend of ours from the fevela who has been praying for a child for 10 years just gave birth to a perfectly healthy son named Igor. This woman, Mara, had miscarried 2 years ago after trying unsuccessfully to become pregnant for 8 years. The fevelas, including the one in which Mara lives, are built on invaded land, so if and when the government forces the people out, social services will occasionally step in and offer relocation options. One of these social programs called Minha Casa, Minha Vida, provides apartments to individuals trapped in the slums. Mara had been on the list to be moved out of the fevela and into an apartment for 8 years, the exact number of years she had been praying for a child. Within a few weeks of having her baby, she was notified that her new apartment was ready. She and Igor have now moved into a much safer part of the city with several other families from their community. It has been an exciting change, although not everyone is happy about being moved off their land. Families have the option to stay in the slum, but at the risk that bulldozers may come in to tear down their homes at any time. Many choose to remain as they have built their lives there, and others stay because they were not chosen to receive alternative housing. There is also much violence and crime based on the jealousy of those who did not get apartments – so the community is now staffed with guards. I have a friend who came to do research for his degree on poverty factors this month, which included evaluating the helpfulness of aid programs like Minha Casa, Minha Vida. It was a very eye opening process to interview residents with him and get a fuller picture of the displacement struggle.
Also the first week of February is Carnaval, Which means you may have to wait in line all day for groceries because it takes people much longer to check out when they start drinking hard liquor in the supermarket and then scan the empty bottles at the register. While drunk. At 11:30am. Carnaval is a week long Marti Gras like festival leading up to lent. It begins with a ceremony at sunrise that is attended by an estimated 2 million people in the city center. During the ceremony there is an enactment of “keys” to lust and gluttony being handed over to the devil. The city is then shut down for an entire week of 24/7 chaos. Brazil is a Catholic nation but it is largely synchronistic. Meaning, numerous Afro-religions are practiced alongside more mainstream faiths. Over the week of Carnaval, there is an exceptionally large amount of witchcraft, violence and sexual assault. Many local people will not go into the city at all. This period of time is also extra difficult for our homeless friends and the women working in prostitution because they are either displaced by the partiers or needing to accommodate more clients. However, there is a softer side of Carvaval. The week includes an incredibly rich display of music and culture that spreads over the entire city. We sent a team out daily to see who would cross our path. While millions of people from all over Brazil gathered to drown their troubles, we saw a handful of others encounter God in profound ways.