Morrinho – Favela Within a Favela

Rio’s middle classes may like to joke that the city’s notorious favelas (slums) seem to spring up just about everywhere, but few would expect to find a favela slap bang in the centre of London.

But England’s capital is indeed currently home to a perfect replica of a Brazilian favela, thanks to the ingenious team behind Rio’s Morrinho project.

This replica favela, it should be pointed out, is a fraction of the size of the real thing; but is a perfect picture of Rio favela life in miniature. With bricks representing houses, bars, shops and even police stations, Lego figures representing the favela’s population and toy cars, bikes and buses representing transport, Projeto Morrinho is miniature favela within a favela, close to the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhoods of Santa Teresa and Laranjeiras. The off-the-beaten track Rio attraction began life as an after-school hobby for a group of local teenage boys, and today has evolved to the extent that it is fast gaining attention overseas.

So much so, that the curators of the Brazil Festival taking place in and around London’s South Bank – the capital’s famous centre for the arts – invited the Projeto Morrinho team to set up a mini-version of the mini-favela right on the banks of the Thames.

Visitors to London can check out the exhibition as part of Festival Brazil, which runs until September 5 and celebrates contemporary Brazilian culture, from football and samba to literature, food, and – yes – those famous favelas.

Meanwhile, visitors to Rio who want to check out the real thing can do by arranging a visit directly with the organisers of the project, by visiting

As the project is located within a favela, tourists are not advised to make their own way there – not least because it is extremely easy to get lost within the rabbit warren of streets and alleys!

Alternatively, visitors curious to learn more about life in Rio’s favelas might want to book a night or two at the nearby Favelinha hostel. Staff here willl be more than happy to point guests in the direction of the Morrinho project, which is just a few minutes’ walk away.

The Pereira da Silva favela, which houses Projeto Morrinho, was badly hit by the floods that devastated Rio earlier this year, and income from tourist visits to Morrinho is playing key role in improving the situation for local residents. Visitors shouldn’t be shy about offering food or clothing items to the organisers, as they will be put to good use within the favela and its social projects.