In 2005, while working on their documentary Firmeza Total, a film about hip-hop in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Jeroen Koolhaas, a Dutch illustrator, and Dre Urhahn, an art director from Amsterdam, came up with an idea they hoped would change the look of the poverty and crime riddled favelas of Brazil. The project, which they named simply Favela Painting Project, started with the planning of a full-size mural, which they would eventually complete two years later with the help of local youths, on the side of one building in one favela in Rio. But that was just the beginning. We spoke with them about their plans to transform entire hillsides within other favelas and shantytowns around the globe.

What sparked your interest in starting this project?
Dre Urhahn: When we were filming our documentary Firmeza Total we spent quite a while driving in, out and around the endless slums of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Somehow we got intrigued by the very steep hillsides, filled with the monotonous brick housing that, for some, embody a hopeless life without any options for a better future. For others it symbolizes a scary place, filled with gun-toating, glue sniffing monsters.

We wanted to think up an idea that would send a very simple positive message both to the inside of the favela and to the outside world. We thought that by painting the surface of these favelas, we could turn them into a positive statement, not to be missed by anyone living inside or anyone passing by in a car or bus. In order to investigate the possibilities, we headed back to Rio and made our first painting in the center of Vila Cruzeiro, one of Rio’s most notorious favelas. The painting of a little boy playing with a kite (about 150 square meters) was just meant to be a test, but the impact was so huge, that we felt sparked to take this project to a next level.

Jeroen Koolhaas: Although we got the idea for the project while filming the documentary, but the structure of a favela itself was part of the initial inspiration. We see great beauty in the random architectural buildup that is a result of the growth process of cities built by its own inhabitants. We hope that painting the surfaces could at some point accentuate the beauty of form manifested in favela architecture.

How has the feedback been, from the community and volunteers, to the project?
Dre: The feedback has been enormous. On one hand the reactions from the inhabitants were very heartwarming. One lady was convinced the project was God showing her he had listened to her prayers. Another family, that actually lives in the painted building said even the dog liked it because he stopped peeing on the wall. The two kids that helped us make the first painting, Vitor and Mauri became local heroes and many others asked if they could participate in future projects. To the outside community, the painting made a deep impact, as the Jornal do Brasil, an important national newspaper, wrote a whole page article about the painting. It was the first time in ages that the Brazilian media has written something positive about slums like Vila Cruzeiro. Also the painting was featured in international papers like the Guardian and talked about on BBC World Radio.

Jeroen: We were amazed when kids from the local gang came around and expressed their interest and support for the project. We didn’t communicate much with them while working there but this confirmation made us feel a lot safer. Of course the whole idea was presented to the drug lord before we could start. A lot of people we met from outside the slums also expressed their desire to participate in projects like this.

Is there anything in particular that you hope people will take away from the project?
Dre: Well, first of all we hope that anyone who sees the paintings will get a heartwarming feeling and develop a new pride and self-esteem about living in the favela. Also, people who never dare to enter one, will get a different idea about them and see that beautiful things can be created, even by those less fortunate. Beyond that we hope to spark something in the kids that will help to develop their creativity and maybe even encourage them to pursue a career in graphics or painting. Maybe we can at least help them see that there are other paths in life besides gangs and drug trafficking.

Jeroen: In the western world the creative industry is a huge source of employment. With this initiative we hope to enlarge the access people in the favelas have to this industry. One of the things I realized while working on the project, is that people in the favelas have very limited access to information except what is shown on TV and in the newspapers. In general the “favelados” are depicted as a danger to society by the media. No one tells kids that they could be designers or even great artists. The first step will be to inspire kids to use their creativity and take pride in what they produce. At a later stage in the project, we aim to actually find ways for kids to be employed with their newly acquired skills. We have a long way to go, but we hope to get the support needed to set up workshops and possibly inviting different artists and designers to contribute.

Is there any intention to attempt this same type of work in any other countries?
Dre: Well, we have been featured in newspapers in countries like South Africa and India and have received emails by parties interested in doing collaborations with us. While at the moment we are focussing on continuing our work in Rio, we want to start our project in other cities like São Paulo too. Eventually, we would like to start up a more international project that could work in slums and shantytowns all over the world.

What has been the most fulfilling or demoralizing aspects of putting this type of piece together?
Dre: The most fulfilling has been the work itself. Seeing the painting grow and the look of the favela change was tremendous. Watching the reactions of the inhabitants and the growing pride of the participating kids made the whole project wortwhile. A very demoralizing aspect of the project can only be the extremely violent reality of favela life. Police raids, drug wars and other things are not stopped by making a painting. The shootings continue on a daily basis, so does the lost of very young lives. Standing outside the slum and not being able to get in because a drug war is raging inside made working on the scaffolding impossible at times, and was very sad and frustrating.

Jeroen: We spent over two months in Vila Cruzeiro on a daily basis. Thanks to the very hospitable nature of the people there, we started to feel at home. Almost as if we were inhabitants ourselves. When we first witnessed hours of incessant gun battle in the neighborhood, we went home shocked and in need of a drink. One day, we realized that witnessing one day of war is not the same as actually living there growing up to the sound of gunfire. We thought about how it must feel to be a mom worried for her children on their way home from school. Or how it might feel to risk losing your job because you can’t leave the house. I never felt demoralized but these circumstances made our project seem small and futile at times. On the other hand, once we would start painting after one of these periods we saw that people were very pleased to be distracted from the violent reality of their lives.

If you could dispel one myth about the life of those living in the favelas, what would it be?
Jeroen: The main myth you encounter is that as an outside you cannot enter a favela. The media is partly to blame for this. I would not advise anyone to walk into a random favela because most of them are in a state of war and for personal security reasons you will be stopped and questioned about your reasons for being there. The answer therefore is to have a reason to go there. Either get involved in a project or get to know some of the people who live there. Once inside you will see that 99% of the inhabitants try to live normal lives and provide safe environments for their children as much as possible. I cannot dismiss the effect the extreme level of violence has on people’s lives. Seeing teenagers with machine guns and hand grenades on every corner takes some getting used to, but if you visit a favela with somebody who lives there you most likely won’t be bothered.

Is there anything else that you would like to share?
Jeroen: We would like to encourage everyone to visit our website where you will find more stories, images and information on how to contribute to our efforts. We are very thankful for the great amount of interest and support people have shown us so far.

Find out more about Dre and Joroen’s work with the Favela Painting Project at www.favelapainting.com.