Children in the abandonated chocolate factory. Currently are more than 100 families living inside. These families were looking for a decent place to live and a more prosperous future for their children, away from the dangerous streets of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil.

ESSAY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT

This work is a witness about a place that no longer exists.

I lived there almost everything that one can live.

I learned there the dark secrets of the human condition through which our survival and I also learned there that love can exist in ashes and chaos.

I learned there what a family is.

Eight years ago sixty families occupied the “Galpao da Araujo Barreto”, an abandoned chocolate factory in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Before that, these families lived in the dangerous streets of the city until they decided to come together and occupy this factory in ruins and turn it in a home.

Every human being needs a space to feel safe and build their identity. After all this years of convivence and resistence these families have created strong comunitarian feelings to make possible the survival in this environment. In this community, the people helps each other keeping safe the shacks, babysitting the kids or sharing the food.

In spite of the strong relationships between the families, the social discrimination continues marginalizing these people. After eight years of occupation, despite having left the street, the living conditions are similar; the problems that they suffered in the streets, drugs, prostitution, and violence, are now present in the factory.

Noemi (38), drugs addicts and mentally handicapped. She works as cook and prostitue to survive after her husband and brother died in a car accident one year ago. She lives inside the abandonated chocolate factory since 2003. Two young boys with no education or work go to the occupied chocolate factory to take drugs. They are talking about how the police was entered in his favela last night. Brazil’s murder rate is now the highest in the world. The gravity of this spreading violence is becoming more and more intense. Two girls fighting because they have discovered that they have a common boyfriend. Erivaldo (25) with her son. Since he was seven years old he uses crack. He has been trated to quit the drugs and take care of his family but he always fall back to drugs and abandon his family. By day Leila (13) is a normal girl, but at night she prostitute herself to survive. Noemi (38), drugs addicts and mentally handicapped. She works as cook and prostitue to survive after her husband and brother died in a car accident one year ago. She lives inside the abandonated chocolate factory since 2003. Sandro showing his scar. His wife saw him with another woman and she cut him with a glass bottle. Instantly he fainted and had to be hospitalized. Ana celebrating her sith anniversary. She was born and has grown up inside the factory. Night meeting to discuss issues of common interest in the community. Despite having left the street, the living conditions in the factory are similar; the problems that they suffered in the streets, drugs, prostitution, and violence, are now present in the factory. Fight in the communal showers. The stress of living in extreme conditions does increase the signs of violence in the factory. Paizinho (25) is the chief of the community inside the favela in the old chocolate factory. He solves the problems that exist between families.

I have been working in this project since 2009, living with the families and their daily dramas. Documenting the daily life inside of this community, where the life moves between the universal bipolarity of harmony and chaos, hope and despair.

In March 2011 the goverment moved all the families to a new buildings placed in a dangerous neighborhood 30 km from the city. Now I want to come back to the new place to document how the community will manage their relationships to build their dignity, to build a new world around their and just live.

The aim of this project is to create a document of a place where the tragic decomposition of human life combined perfectly with the magic realism of Latin America.

Leo (25) and Geany (22) with their two childrens taking lunch. Young men with fighting dogs in the old chocolate factory. Young couple playing pool in the favela inside an occupied chocolate factory in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Two young boys with no education or work go to the favela to take drugs. They are talking about how the police was entered in his favela last night. Brazil’s murder rate is now the highest in the world. The gravity of this spreading violence is becoming more and more intense. General vision of the abandoned chocolate factory occupied for dozens of families since 2003. In spite of the extreme conditions in which they live, this factory in ruins has become a home for these families. They have managed to build their dignity and their routine adapting and normalizing their lives among chaos. Girl playing with a carnival mask at the factory. In spite of the extreme conditions in which they live, this factory in ruins has become a home for these families. They have managed to build their dignity and their routine adapting and normalizing their lives among chaos. Maria (16) smoking crack. Since she was 8 years old she prostitute herself to take drugs. Noemi (38) is criying with her son because is the anniversary of the death of her brother and her husband. Since then she began to split into prostitution to survive. Couple making sex. The prostitution levels at the factory are very high. The pricipal cause is to get money to survive or to take drugs. Melanie (22) is actually living with her two sons in a small shack in a old chocolate factory in Salvador de Bahia. In spite of the extreme conditions in wich they live, this factory in ruins has become a home for the family. Children playing in a old chocolate factory occupied since 2003 for dozens of families. These families were looking for a decent place to live and a more prosperous future for their children, away from the dangerous streets of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. Reni (31), is the responsable to preserve the favela and to alert if the police is coming. Despite having left the street, the living conditions in the factory are similar; the problems that they suffered in the streets, drugs, prostitution, and violence, are now present in the factory.

Bio

Sebastian Liste (1985, Spain) graduated in Sociology and MA in Photojournalism. Since 2005 Sebastian has concentrated to mixed his sociological knowledges with his visual skills to explore personal and intimate stories, as well as the roots of social structure issues now facing many countries around the world when they want enter a new economic system. He is also interested in the profound cultural and identity changes that occur in our contemporary world.

Recently, Sebastian was selected to participate at the 2011 Joop Swart Masterclass. His work have been also recognized worlwide at Sony WPO, Lucie Awards, Antropographia, CENTER Awards, Fotovisura Grant, Onward, Reinassance Prize, Terry O’Neill Award, Ian Parry Scholarship, among others.

His photographs have appeared at TIME, The Sunday Times Magazine, PDN, British Journal of Photography, FotoVisura, and other publications.

His projects have been exhibited in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Barcelona, San Francisco and Tokio.

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Sebastian Liste