loyola llothta
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Foreigners(French Women) comment:
'People are very lazy and no-one is professional. It's like living in Africa. I tell people, you know why you are third world, because you don't know how to work. It's very frustrating, everyone here is very difficult to deal with.'
By MATT ROPER IN RIO DE JANEIRO FOR MAILONLINE
- Ex-footballer was reported to have bought slum-house last year for $1m
- He was pictured on visit to Vidigal favela when filming a commercial
- But visit sparked frenzy of interest and slum is now gentrified by foreigners
- Shacks that went for £2,500 marketed at £400,000 'with stunning views'
- New residents won't mix with Brazilians and say 'they are so ignorant'
- And Brazilians say: 'The gringos are all dope heads, they stay in bed all day'
Rumours that David Beckham has bought a trendy 'shack' in a notorious Rio de Janeiro slum have driven up house prices and turned it into a luxury enclave, residents say.
The football star was said to have spent £250,000 on a seaview home in the Vidigal favela last year.
Since then, slum houses that originally fetched £2,500 are being marketed as trendy 'shanty shacks' with spectacular views for as much as £400,000 - even though the rumours are false.
A three-bedroomed house easily fetches upwards of £100,000, and it has led to an influx of rich foreigners moving in.
Among those who have made the favela their home is Frenchwoman Laetitia Lafayete, 40, who moved to Vidigal after marrying her Brazilian husband Lucas Tavares, 27.
Laetitia explains how she left a highflying job as an interior architect in Paris and moved to Brazil on a whim, in a search for a soulmate.
Sitting on her sofa in front of a balcony high up over Rio's beaches, she says: 'I was very Parisien. I'd spend my days in high heels, make-up and nice clothes, and I'd be on the town every night.
'But one day I realised I would never get married if I didn't do something drastic. I looked at a map to find where I could go to find a man, and decided on Brazil because I liked the type of men there. On the second day in Rio I met Lucas.'
Laetitia sold her two flats in Paris and arrived in Brazil with £150,000 - but soon realised that it wasn't enough to buy a house and start a business as she had planned.
Rumours that David Beckham, pictured above in the Amazon Rainforest with child from local tribe, has bought a trendy 'shack' in a notorious Rio de Janeiro slum have driven up house prices and turned it into a luxury enclave, residents say
The football star was pictured in Rio last March on a shoot for advert. He was spotted relaxing by the rooftop pool at the trendy Fasano Hotel amid claims he had bought a house in the Vidigal favela
A view of the house rumoured to have been bought by David Beckham, a colonial-style building at the end of a quiet, tree-lined cobbled street called 'Road 3'
Perched on the side of the hill above lush Atlantic rainforest, it is the last house on the north side of the favela, mostly hidden behind a high green wall and wide wooden garage door
The breathtaking view from the top of the Vidigal favela, where Beckham was rumoured to have bought a house
The shanty town sprawls up a hillside overlooking the Atlantic ocean between two of Rio's most desirable neighbourhoods, Leblon and Sao Conrado, the plush beach district where England footballers stayed during last year's World Cup
Despite being surrounded by poverty, the 'shack' rumoured to have been bought by Beckham boasts a balcony, swimming pool and spectacular views over the ocean and Rio's Ipanema beach
There have also been claims that Madonna had also bought a house in Vidigal, on the same street as the ex-England captain
The Vidigal slum is in the heart of Rio's tourism district, but the community are up in arms about the 'foreign invasion' - with most people laying the blame firmly at the feet of England's most famous footballer
Like a number of other Rio favelas which have been 'pacified' - where police forces retake slums from drugs gangs controlling them - Vidigal has seen an increase in outsiders moving there
'People are very lazy and no-one is professional. It's like living in Africa. I tell people, you know why you are third world, because you don't know how to work. It's very frustrating, everyone here is very difficult to deal with.'
A few favela alleyways up, Eduardo Andre, 30, is one of a group of locals carrying bags of cement for the construction of another new hotel, again being built by a foreign investor.
Eduardo, whose girlfriend is seven months pregnant, is just as critical of the foreigners who have arrived in increasing numbers 'since Beckham'.
'That's Beckham's house down there,' he says, pointing to the walled residence on Road 3.
He adds: 'They said the gringos would bring wealth to the favela, but I haven't seen any of it, in fact we're getting poorer. They're even kicking out favela people to make room for the gringos. There have been no benefits for favela people, quite the opposite.
Among those who have made the favela their home is French woman Laetitia Lafayete, 40, above, who moved to Vidigal after marrying her Brazilian husband
Laetitia left a highflying job as an interior architect in Paris and moved to Brazil on a whim, in a search for a soulmate. She says: 'I bought this house for £15,000 and did some reforms, and when I decided to sell it three months later a buyer came forward offering £75,000'
Laetitia Lafayete, pictured above with her husband , Lucas Tavare and their baby, said: 'One day I realised I would never get married if I didn't do something drastic. I looked at a map to find where I could go to find a man, and decided on Brazil because I liked the type of men there. On the second day in Rio I met Lucas.'
Lucas Tavares loves the view from their bargain shanty-town flat, above, but has faced claims from the community that they are responsible for gentrifying the area too much
Laetitia Lafayete loves her flat but complains: 'People are very lazy and no-one is professional. It's like living in Africa'
Laetitia Lafayete and Lucas Tavares, who have bought a second property, say: 'It's very frustrating, everyone here is very difficult to deal with'
The couple are now turning the house into a hotel and restaurant in the belief that Vidigal, above, will soon be attracting even greater numbers of foreign tourists
Vidigal overlooks Ipanema Beach and Ilhas Cagarras, and has struggled with drug wars. In recent years it has gentrified but historically when fighting occurs, residents must sometimes stay in their homes for days
Community leaders at Vidigal believe the Beckham rumours may have been put out by local estate agents hoping the effect would inflate house prices and help them sell their properties at a premium
'The gringos are all dope heads. They're so lazy, they wake up at lunchtime. And they think they own the place. When the throw a party they block off the street so if we arrive with shopping we have to stop at the bottom of the road and carry our bags all the way up.
'This used to be our favela, but now we have to ask permission to walk down our own streets. Can you believe that?'
He is one of a number of disgruntled residents who claim that in the months that followed the Beckham rumours, everything from property prices to food and services soared, pushing many poor families to the brink - and causing outrage in the community of more than 35,000 people.
The gringos are all dope heads. They're so lazy, they wake up at lunchtime. And they think they own the place
They also claim that rents have rocketed, with some landlords even forcing families to leave their homes to make way for richer foreign clients willing to pay much higher rents.
Community leaders believe the false information reported last April may have been put out by local estate agents hoping the Beckham effect would inflate house prices and help them sell their properties at a premium.
If so, they were at it again last week after another, similarly untrue, report claimed pop queen Madonna had also bought a house in Vidigal, on the same street as the ex-England captain.
MailOnline visited the Vidigal slum, in the heart of Rio's tourism district, and found a community up in arms about the 'foreign invasion' - with most people laying the blame firmly at the feet of England's most famous footballer.
The shanty town sprawls up a hillside overlooking the Atlantic ocean between two of Rio's most desirable neighbourhoods, Leblon and Sao Conrado, the plush beach district where England footballers stayed during last year's World Cup.
A view of the house rumoured to have been bought by David Beckham, a colonial-style building at the end of a quiet, tree-lined cobbled street called 'Road 3'
Perched on the side of the hill above lush Atlantic rainforest, it is the last house on the north side of the favela, mostly hidden behind a high green wall and wide wooden garage door
The property boasts an incredible view of the sea and is on the same road as a property rumoured to have been bought by Madonna
Since the news about Beckham the number of 'gringos' has rocketed, according to residents, with some claiming as many as 1,000 foreigners have made the favela their home