Living and Growing in Rio de Janeiro
In the district of Praça Onze, around the corner from Rua Marquês de Sapucaí where the world-famous Rio Carnaval makes its annual procession, the presence of Crescer e Viver, or “Living and Growing,” is unmistakable with its prominent blue-and-white striped circus tent. It is fenced off in an almost sanctifying gesture from its surroundings of a weed-ridden, empty tarmac lot dotted with a few cars and backed by a panorama-spanning view of Rio de Janeiro’s equally famous favelas (slums). Across from the lot, the newly built Praça Onze metro station stands in stark contrast to the old, crackling buildings – a sign of progress in this decaying part of Rio de Janeiro.