As I told in the previous article, the social apartheid manifests itself in various forms. Some are more discreet, some are more blatant, but the fact is that this is part of Brazilian culture. The speech may vary, can be very well disguised (full of good intentions), but the evil in the background is always the same.

Marginal Pinheiros - rich district in Sao Paulo

In this article, I will try to demonstrate how this happens in tourism, because the segregation takes different aspects, but political discourse is the same. Personally, I believe it will take a long time for this problem be solved, because it will be necessary to “rethink” the entire Brazilian society.

Grajau - poor districit in Sso Paulo

I will use slavery as an example. The abolition of slavery occurred in 1888 in Brazil, only that when it occurred, virtually there were no more slaves in Brazil, except for some places where the economy was quite late. In Sao Paulo, the coffee farmers found a workforce much cheaper, the Japanese and European immigrants. Already in 1820, Sao Paulo abolished informally the slavery and the slaves were delivered to the total abandonment. Almost no one hired them and the situation was as follows: free, but without food or housing. The government had not the slightest concern to them and society pretended they didn’t exist. In some disturbing way this is happening even today.

The cities then began to grow and to develop following this perverse logic of exclusion. The rich on one side and the others on the other. Here the middle class followed the model of the rich and began to exclude the lower middle class. And the lower middle class, the poor. Each one excluding those who could. And believe me or not, the Brazilian beaches reflect this perfectly.

The example that I’ll use to show to the reader will be the beaches of Sao Paulo (state). But do not be fooled, thinking this happens only in Sao Paulo because it happens across country, and I think a good part of the world. The difference is that many Brazilian coastal cities simply banned the poor and who is lower middle class of its beaches. And in some cases, the really rich banned the middle class of its beaches. Again the logic of exclusion.

Praia Grande

In the state of Sao Paulo, it says that there are two coastal, the north and south. Although the two are beautiful, there is a huge difference between them: the visitors and infrastructure of these places. The southern coast is for where the “farofeiros” go. “Farofeiro” is an offensive term to describe the residents of the poorest regions of Sao Paulo. These are people who earn low wages and don’t have money to rent a house or to stay in hostels or hotels and going to the beach as follows: they rent a bus that arrives in the morning and returns at night. They bring food and drink and stay the whole day on the beach singing and dancing, trying to have fun as much as possible because they know that will not last long on the beach. The most popular beach to find them is Praia Grande.

Guarujá

Only they can bring problems. Residents from these beaches claim in prefectures, accusing the “farofeiros” to cause many problems. And indeed cause. In a typical week end of the summer, some cities receive up to 1000 buses crowded that often park in places irregular, blocking residential garages. The mayors of these cities, then responded, charging ever higher fees for such buses would enter the city. Some cities have found a middle way and built and designated specific locations for such tourists. This is more typical in the southern coast.

Tombo Beach - Guarujá

However, some cities do not accept the presence of these “farofeiros” and began to charge exorbitant rates (something like US$ 2000 – the minimum wage in Brazil is US$ 200) to prevent them entering the cities. In Guaruja (beginning of the north coast), a series of measures was taken to impede the entry of this kind of tourists. There was a summer that was common on the beaches tourists remain abandoned because the city confiscated the bus in which they had arrived.

Bertioga

But the presence of “farofeiros” had already “contaminated” this city and the more affluent drove up to Bertioga, creating a “paradise” for them. The same happened in São Sebastião (San Sebastian), a place where some beaches, although public, are so unique that most visitors arriving from helicopter.

Camburi - São Sebastião

Maresias - São Sebastião

So as you can see, an imaginary line was drawn between the north and south coast in Sao Paulo. The rich on one side, the middle class in the middle and lower middle class and the poor in the other. All creating a way to segregate the other and living in a state of fear and paranoia. But do not think that there is only prejudice on the part of rich, Brazil is the land of widespread social and economic prejudice.