Portraits of North east

Favela smiles

Lack of future but not smiles.

Barefoot games and loud dreams

Football is everything.

The court is cracked, the nets are gone, and the sun hits hard—but none of that matters. For a few hours each afternoon, the football pit in the favela becomes something else. A world of movement, noise, and escape.

Here, laughter drowns out trouble. Goals are celebrated like miracles. The ball moves fast, and so do the problems—left behind at the edge of the concrete.

An afternoon here gives you more than just sweat and bruises. It gives you energy to face whatever’s waiting at home. Hunger, silence, or shouting—it doesn’t matter. The game fills you up in ways food can't.