Race>> Shanty Town • Brazil
On May 28, police officers and celebrities in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro joined about 1,500 residents in a race through a shanty town to celebrate peace. The Challenge for Peace retraced the route used by drug traffickers to escape the Alemao Favela when police moved in in November 2010. Even former drug gang members took part in the five-kilometre run through the favela’s narrow streets.
For decades, the shanty town was a no-go zone for the police. One of the organisers of the event, Luiz Fernando, said the event “lifts the self-esteem of a community that used to live amid a great deal of violence”. The race winner, Valerio de Souza, said he will use the prize money, some 7,000 reais (US $2,500) to help his family.
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