In Pictures

Congolese refugees face poverty and racism in Brazil’s favelas

Many Congolese in Rio de Janeiro say they desire to go back to their homeland – if only it was possible.

The immigrants are generally very poor and often rely on donations to eat. Here, Mbemba is seen cutting open a pig’s head they were given, so it could be eaten. The Congolese still prepare the food of their homeland, such as fufu, a dough-like mash of cassava, which is eaten with the fingers and dipped in a soup. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]

27 May 2018

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The ongoing turmoil in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed 5.4 million from war, disease and malnutrition, more than any other conflict since 1945, according to the International Rescue Committee.

The suffering has led to 675,000 fleeing for refuge in other countries, the effect is being felt even more than 6,437km (4,000 miles) away in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

According to the latest figures, 658 Congolese are awaiting asylum in the city, more than any other nationality. Another 943 have already been granted refugee status.

In the poor, distant north zone of Rio, many Congolese immigrants have found that life at the sharp end of gang-controlled favelas can be painful.

From shootouts outside their windows, to suffering because of inadequate healthcare, to a struggle to get anything but menial jobs, many Congolese say they desire to go back to their homeland – if only it was possible.

But there have also been many small victories – those who have carved out lives for themselves, learning Portuguese, finding work and adapting as best they can.

Meanwhile, they have kept as many of their national traditions – such as Congolese recipes and dress – alive, as a way of remembering their homeland.

Despite being more than 6,437km away from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rio de Janeiro hosts 940 refugees from the war-torn nation. Many live in the poor favela settlements in the northern periphery of the city, including Ali Kembilu Mbemba, 24, pictured here in the traditional dress of his homeland. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]

A mother and her child, both refugees from the DRC, are pictured in the Ramos favela in Rio de Janeiro. Single mothers, who are often fleeing sexual abuse, suffer greatly, with little chance of work or childcare. This woman asked not be identified for fear of retribution if she were to return home. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]

Luta Espoir-Babou, 23, was a successful footballer in his homeland. He played as an attacking midfielder for Dragons. In Rio, he took part in the Amateur Soccer World Cup, a local tournament, in 2016. Here, he is seen in a training session with other Congolese refugees in the Bras de Pina favela in the north of Rio. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]

A single mother from DRC, washes clothes with her son in the Bras de Pina favela where she lives in northern Rio. She works at a beauty parlour, styling the hair of African women. Recently arrived in Brazil, she does not speak Portuguese. She lives alone with her son; his father is in the DRC. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]

A refugee from the DRC prays during a Christian service at a church in the Bras de Pina favela. The Congolese face racism, poverty and unemployment in favelas dominated by drug traffickers. But many remain hopeful of better days in Brazil in which their dreams of freedom are realised. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]

Ali Kembilu Mbemba, 24, a refugee from the DRC, smokes a cigar in his home in the Cinco Bocas favela in northern Rio de Janeiro. With little money, many of the Congolese who have fled to the Marvelous City here live in cramped apartments in slums, sometimes with several men to a room. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]

Stylist Mao Mbongo, 37, a refugee from the DRC exhibits blazers, blouses and skirts she has made in the style of her homeland for sale to her compatriots in the Cinco Bocas favela in northern Rio de Janeiro. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]

In a relaxed moment, Mbemba, a refugee from the DRC, is seen swimming in the Piscinao de Ramos, a vast man-made pool and beach adjacent to Guanabara Bay in Rio and part of Mare, a large favela complex. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]

Underneath a portrait of Nelson Mandela, Moises Eureka, a 23-year-old refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, recovers from tuberculosis. In the poor outskirts of Rio, the Congolese often find doctors and medicines are unavailable. [Fabio Teixeira/Al Jazeera]