Brazil - Cinema Marrocos

Brazil - Cinema Marrocos

The population of Brazil, as recorded by the 2008 PNAD, is approximately 190 million and 83.75% of the population is defined as urban.
Brazil’s housing deficit is around 7 million units, referring to the number of shelters which do not have adequate conditions to be habitable, in addition to the number of housing units that need to be built to shelter all families who currently lack one. As a result, they share a shelter with another household in overcrowded conditions.
São Paulo is the biggest city of Brazil and South America with almost 20 million people living in the city.
Housing, in Brazil largest city São Paulo, is one of the biggest issues poor people have been facing in the last years.
Since 2008, real estate prices in São Paulo have shot up by nearly 200%.
Over the last five years, rising real estate speculation in central São Paulo has created a deficit of affordable housing. In response, left wing housing movements seize abandoned buildings, transforming them into housing units for poor and vulnerable families.
In some cases these buildings can host up to one thousand people. The size of the apartment is generally around 40sq meters, and the bathroom is normally shared within few families. Cinema Marrocos stands in the paulista capital downtown.
When inaugurated, in 1951, it has been called "The best and most luxury cinema of South America". In 2013 after many years in which the cinema remained closed, a social movement occupied the cinema and the 12 floor building above. Since October 2013 around 370 families live there, for a total amount of more than 1000 people.
This is their story.

by contributor Alessandro Rampazzo

The population of Brazil, as recorded by the 2008 PNAD, is approximately 190 million and 83.75% of the population is defined as urban.
Brazil’s housing deficit is around 7 million units, referring to the number of shelters which do not have adequate conditions to be habitable, in addition to the number of housing units that need to be built to shelter all families who currently lack one. As a result, they share a shelter with another household in overcrowded conditions.
São Paulo is the biggest city of Brazil and South America with almost 20 million people living in the city.
Housing, in Brazil largest city São Paulo, is one of the biggest issues poor people have been facing in the last years.
Since 2008, real estate prices in São Paulo have shot up by nearly 200%.
Over the last five years, rising real estate speculation in central São Paulo has created a deficit of affordable housing. In response, left wing housing movements seize abandoned buildings, transforming them into housing units for poor and vulnerable families.
In some cases these buildings can host up to one thousand people. The size of the apartment is generally around 40sq meters, and the bathroom is normally shared within few families. Cinema Marrocos stands in the paulista capital downtown.
When inaugurated, in 1951, it has been called "The best and most luxury cinema of South America". In 2013 after many years in which the cinema remained closed, a social movement occupied the cinema and the 12 floor building above. Since October 2013 around 370 families live there, for a total amount of more than 1000 people.
This is their story.

Jayde (Katia) 47 lives in a double room apartment with her daughter and her four nephews, one of them with mental illness. The Cinema Marrocos occupation at its first floor has a big space where children can play together. One big problem for poor people is to take care of the children. As salary are really low, both of the parents need to work and the children are left on the street with all the risks that this takes. In this kind of occupations children become part of a big community where they can play in a safe area with always someone around. As the place is common children normally do contribute to keep it clean. The cinema Marrocos hosts around one thousand people. Nonetheless is not easy to see many people around. Everyone has its business. People come back from work usually around 7PM people and that's when it is more easy to meet people around the building. Wagner is 47 year old Brasilian he lives with Vanessa and his daughter Aiane. As Aiane is just few months old they decided to live in a motel but the money gained from Wagner's work was just sufficient to pay the everyday rent. Wagner works daily, with no contract or any signed paper. He works in the city fruit and vegetable general market. It was a friend who told him about the movement occupying buildings to give people the possibility to live in a house at a reasonable price Yafau, 23 arrived in Brazil few months ago with her husband Mustapha 34, an ex military in Gambia. Helder is living in the cinema Marrocos occupation since 7 months. His apartment, on the 7th floor, has always the door open. The entrance hall of the cinema Marrocos occupation is always controlled by internal security. This is important to check that people entering are occupants of the building and not foreigners. To enter every person has a personal card attesting he's living in the building. Lucia, 64 lives in the occupation Marrocos since 5 months. She moved there because the place is near the center and is very cheap. She is used to work as a secretary in a local business. Few years ago one of her two sons died of an heart attack, the other son now lives with his wife also in the center. Open spaces are commonly used to dry the laundry Mustapha is from Gambia. For 11 years worked as a soldier for the national army and also with the UN. As he was part of the army and involved in risky operation his life started to be no more safe.That's why he decided to move to Brazil together with his girl, who is now pregnant. At the moment he's waiting for a refugee status approval. Yafau, Mustapha wife, is now pregnant of their first son. In the bar of the cinema Marrocos teenagers and youngster are used to meet to play billiards and stay together in the early evening. Inside Jayde (Katia) apartment with her daughter and her four nephews, one of them with mental illness. A portrait of Jayde's daughter with two of her four sons. The entrance of the occupation Marrocos is surveilled all day long by different people from the building. As they are massively populated, it is difficult to know everyone and for this reason people feel the need to checking the ID at the entrance. By doing like this, the occupied building can be a safe place and strangers are kept outside. The cinema Marrocos occupation has a bar inside where people of the occupation go in the evening and where children and teenagers play. Dalva, one of the coordinators of the occupation, is living in the cinema Marrocos since few months. She is contributing to the life of the occupation also working as ascensorista (elevator attendant). The cinema Marrocos hosts around one thousand people. Nonetheless is not easy to see many people around. Everyone has its business. People come back from work usually around 7PM people and that's when it is more easy to meet people around the building. As Jayde (Katia) cleans her apartment her nephew Ana Julia helps her. Every sunday at 9pm there is a collective cleaning of the building. Every person contribute washing the common places like corridors ad stairs. who do not participate is fined of 30R$ almost 10€. One of the responsible of the building passing on the floors to call people to start cleaning. Once a month, the ex cinema hall is used to take a collective meeting where people can discuss problems, point out needs and in general discuss about the occupation. Children living in the cinema Marrocos occupation usually are free to move in the building as the place is really secure and controlled. There is a kind of social control that allow parents to go to work without being worried about their children. The cinema Marrocos occupation is one of the ninety buildings occupied only in Sao Paulo. house related problems are a big issue for lower class people since in the last few years the rent prices have increased significantly. Many movements have born to answer to this problem, MTST, MSTS, FLM, among the others, occupies abandoned buildings, allowing families and people to go and live there. Is estimate that around 80.000 people, only in Sao Paulo, live in occupied buildings.

We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience

By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies.