The best of Rio de Janeiro was on display during the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games on Friday.
But television viewers only got a glimpse of the beautiful beach city that’s also home to hundreds of “favelas,” or slums, which look down upon the Olympic venues from nearby hillsides.
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There were a reported 756 shootings and 50 deaths in Rio’s favelas the month before the Olympics, according to the CBC. Some residents of the favelas who were promised help from Olympic organizers have said the games have provided little benefit for them, with some favelas being cleared with force as part of preparations for the games.
Below, see photos showing how residents of Rio’s favelas watched the opening ceremony:
CARL DE SOUZA via Getty Images
People watch fireworks exploding over the Maracana stadium from the favela Mangueira.
"It's not the right moment," Adriana Borgatte, a resident of the Babilonia favela, told the CBC. "The country is in crisis. We are spending unnecessary money while we need a lot more for health and education and basics for the population. Not only Rio de Janeiro but all over Brazil."
"It's not the right moment," Adriana Borgatte, a resident of the Babilonia favela, told the CBC. "The country is in crisis. We are spending unnecessary money while we need a lot more for health and education and basics for the population. Not only Rio de Janeiro but all over Brazil."
Reinhard Krause / Reuters
Brazilians watch TV outside Maracana stadium.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Residents watch fireworks exploding above the Maracana stadium.
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TASSO MARCELO via Getty Images
Locals watch on TV in a bar near the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
“Rio’s residents will be working hard to keep the streets clean, and the beer glasses full, and it will be a great party, but the hangover is going to last a long time," Christopher Gaffney, a member of civil society group Comite Popular da Copa e das Olimpiadas, told the Boston Globe. The group has resisted projects associated with the Olympics.
“Rio’s residents will be working hard to keep the streets clean, and the beer glasses full, and it will be a great party, but the hangover is going to last a long time," Christopher Gaffney, a member of civil society group Comite Popular da Copa e das Olimpiadas, told the Boston Globe. The group has resisted projects associated with the Olympics.
Pilar Olivares / Reuters
People in the Mangueira favela watch fireworks.
ED JONES via Getty Images
People watch a television screen at a restaurant near the stadium.
"The Olympics only brought more social injustice, the people who were already rich became richer," Luiza de Andrade, a documentary filmmaker who has been working with residents of the Vila Autodromo favela, told ABC News.
"The Olympics only brought more social injustice, the people who were already rich became richer," Luiza de Andrade, a documentary filmmaker who has been working with residents of the Vila Autodromo favela, told ABC News.
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Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
People watch fireworks explode over the Maracana from the roof of their home in the Mangueira favela.
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A man watches the opening ceremony on a television screen at a restaurant.
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
Residents of the Mangueira favela watch the opening ceremony on TV.
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Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
A family photographs fireworks.
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
People watch the opening ceremony on TV.
Ricardo Moraes / Reuters
The Maracana Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony is seen from the Mangueira favela slum.
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