Brazilian Funk Ball-A Fight for Life

In the recent wave of endemic crime and police corruption, there has surfaced a new lifestyle that has become a menacing force for the governing authorities of the Brazilian Rio state. This wild 'game' of music and dance has given new life to the Carioca street youth of the favelas. It is called "Funk ball", a violent taunting match between rival gangs who sometimes deal out deadly beatings to their counterparts who seek only revenge or recognition from their barrio peers. Furthermore, the games are made to coincide with the powerful "funk" music, a locally produced axe ghetto mixture of: pounding techno break beats and rampant lyrical yelps, delivered in a way to insite the emotions of the funk ballers.

Moreover, these bouts seem to release a sort of tension that lies beneath the surface of their existences. Living in mere poverty, the street youth find commaraderie in the gangs that they attend to, almost as they would a family. They live and die for the lifestyle that they themselves have created yet they don't always live to tell about it. While it seems, sort of sinister to believe in the power of your own fist, it is the only thing that these ballers can rely on during these combatic games they play. Sure they understand the reality of these dangerous bouts, yet they still partake in them Jihad style. As stupid as these games may seem, however, they are real, and people really die. It has been said that to know death is to know life, but what do these young kids know about life? Too much.

However, more than the games themselves it is the music that has stood the test of time, giving their generation an identity of their own. Just like the hip hop movement was to the ghettos of New York in the early eighties, the music of the favela has taken on new meaning. Even though the authorities threaten to close the clubs and shut down the promoters, this sort of hardcore youth will always make their way. The funk ball music is unique and lively, truthful and cynical at the same time. It is a phenomenon of the Brazilian ghettos, known for being characteristically rhythmic and festive. Music has always been a part of their nature along with dancing and a signature smile.

Nonetheless, it is the violence in these games that has become the most exploited factor amongst the media circles. With rumors of such violent and "mob style" killings, the funk balls have been known for their deadly and ferocious outcomes. This is the most revealing aspect that makes us understand the culture where these disuaded youths come from. They live under some of the harshest conditions known to man. Crime, poverty, homelessness- their lives begin without any hope for a future right from the start. They live in a "gotham" type society, where angels and devils are always present amongst them.