What is Favela? Why Brazil stops using "Subnormal" to indicate it's "Favelas"?

Photo credit: Britannica

A favela is a type of informal settlement or shantytown in Brazil. These areas are designated by poverty, inadequate housing and lack of basic infrastructure such as sanitation and public services. Favelas often develop in urban areas especially in cities like Rio de Janerio. 

The term "Favela" originally referred to a robust favela plant prevalent in a specific hillside neighborhood in Rio de janerio. Over time, the term became common term for informal settlements across Brazil. 

According to 2010 census, 6% of Brazil's total population lived in favelas. In addition, despite the challenges that these favelas have to face, they are vibrant communities with a strong sense of harmony and strength of character. 

So, after decades of delay and demand, Brazil announced on Tuesday that it will from now on use "favelas and urban communities" to categorize thousands of poor, urban neighborhood instead of previous term "subnormal agglomerates" that was widely viewed as stigmatising. 

The word "subnormal agglomerates" was started to describe places with irregular occupation and deficient public services by the national statistics and geography institutes, known by its portuguese acronym IBGE from 1990s.

The name change announced in a statement follows a process of reflection that began in the 2000s, according to IBGE geography coordinator, Cayo Franco.

To know the reason why Brazil is now set to indicate it's informal settlements from "subnormal agglomerates" to "favela", let's look upon some statements.

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The concept of "subnormality" referred to people's living conditions, but "many times it was understood as the condition of the people themselves," Mr. Cayo Franco said. It was also too vague to represent reality. 

Further, "agglomeration" transmitted an image of people piled atop one another, said Theresa Williamson, executive director of a favela advocacy group, Catalytic Communities. Many of these neighbourhoods are not recent; rather, they are consolidated, having been built up over generations with individual or collective investment. 

"When you have a term that is pejorative, labelling such a huge portion of the country, it can only be counterproductive," said Ms. Williamson. "You need terms that are more nuanced when you're talking about such large sectors of society, rather than sort of deny them any value,” she added.

So I hope now you have understood why Brazil stops using "Subnormal" to indicate it's "Favelas".