Recyclart, October 2010
—
Jornal de Artigos Não Lidos (Journal of Unread Articles) is a journal by Repórter sem Beiras that wants to communicate a broader view and sense of personal identity on the people living in favelas — Brazilian slums.
This issue, Cats & Wires, focuses on the 'Gato' system used in favelas. Gato, literally translated as ‘cat’, has different meanings. It can refer to a beautiful girl (gata) or beautiful boy (gato), but is also Brazilian slang for the illegal practice of pirating public services such as water, electricity and the internet. Many people living in favelas pirate electricity by tapping their wires into a nearby street lamp. The same system is sometimes used to illegally access the internet. You are probably in a favela if you see a blue plastic water tank on the roof of a house. These tanks are the terminus of an endless network of plastic tubes leading from a public water service point, sometimes nearby and sometimes far away.
—
Download Cats & Wires