About the book

Over the past 40 years, the district of Mãe Luíza in Brazil's north-eastern city of Natal developed from a desolate favela into a functioning community. From the first humanitarian aid to construction of a gymnasium, this persistent process is outlined in short articles and essays in the second part of this richly illustrated volume. The documentation impressively demonstrates how transformation was achieved step by step with the help of many, laying the groundwork for ongoing progress. Less crime, better education, and a fairer society – much has been accomplished and even more is possible for the future.

A story by bestselling author Paulo Lins (“City of God”) tells the stirring tale of the establishment of the Brazilian favela Mãe Luíza. Fleeing drought and deadly heat, the people there fought for a piece of land to call their own, hoping for a better life. Thanks to their optimism and solidarity, their vision gradually took shape.

Edited by Ion de Andrade, Tomislav Dushanov, Nicole Miescher and Lars Müller

With contributions by Ion de Andrade, Loyse Raboud de Andrade, Dulce Bentes, Mô Bleeker, Tomislav Dushanov, Herzog & de Meuron, Erminia Maricato, Nicole Miescher, Verner Monteiro, Raymund Ryan, Andrea Scartazzini, Robério Camilo da Silva, Nicholas Fox Weber

History of the Author

Paulo Lins was born in Rio de Janeiro on June 11, 1958. He is a poet, novelist and screenwriter for film and television, and a lecturer in Portuguese Language and Brazilian Literature at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. His widely acclaimed novel Cidade de Deus (translated into English as City of God) was published in 1997. The 2002 film adaptation by Fernando Meirelles was nominated for four Academy Awards. Paulo Lins spent his childhood and youth in the Cidade de Deus community, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, where his prizewinning novel is set. His novel Desde que o samba é samba (Since Samba is Samba, 2012) explores the history of popular music in early 20th century Rio de Janeiro. His writing has been translated into many languages.