Whatcha Watchin’?
by Lah-May
Although Favela Rising is still in the film festival circuit, it's a film that needs to be seen by many. It's an amazing documentary about a man who overcomes the handicaps of an impoverished environment—an environment where if it's not the drug wars that cut short a citizen's life, it's the vengeful police tactics.What makes a man—after seeing his brother killed, his friends killed, his neighborhood terrorized by drug gangs and police—choose "the better life" over revenge and retaliation? The better life for Anderson Sá wasn't chosen just for himself; it was a conscious choice to help the people of his favela [squatter settlement]. Anderson joined up with other visionaries to find ways to work through the many problems his people faced.
After expressing his frustrations one night in a song, the concept of transforming one's environment through music came to him. AfroReggae was conceived. AfroReggae wasn't limited to a few people getting together for jams and concerts. A band not only formed, but it also shaped community programs for youth—such as music, theater, and dance—and supported those in need.
Favela Rising is a highly commendable film. It had to take courage for the filmmakers to go to the "Bosnia" of Brazil to film this amazing story. It had to take courage to steadfastly stay the course to establish a new way and better way of life in a community beaten down by tragedy upon tragedy and short on hope. And no doubt, especially given the twist at the end of the film, there seemed to be a legion of angels looking out for this movement and its leaders.
If anything Favela Rising should inspire individuals to see that anyone can make a difference—no matter what their background, their environment, or their current situation. The face of Jesus tattooed on Anderson Sá's arm and the following words from The URANTIA Book should motivate all individuals to work for the betterment of their own souls and the lives of others on this planet: "Neither can environmental limitations, even on an isolated world, thwart the personal attainment of the individual mortal; Jesus of Nazareth, as a man among men, personally achieved the status of light and life over nineteen hundred years ago on Urantia [Earth]." (p. 636.)