The Foreign Service Journal, October 2013

66 OCTOBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LOCAL LENS BY JOHN ELLIOTT n RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL Enter your favorite, recent photograph to be featured in Local Lens! Images must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi at 8 x 10”) and must not be in print elsewhere. Please submit a short description of the scene/event, as well as your name, brief biodata and the type of camera used, to locallens@afsa.org. T his is a typical street scene in one of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas (shanty towns), Santa Marta. Children are at the windows and playing in the street. The popular sport of kite flying is captured in the graffiti by a local artist. Once a squatter settlement, Santa Marta was one of the first communities in the city to undergo a statewide “pacification program.” Start- ing in 2008, this dramatically reduced the incidence of crime and has gradually raised the standard of living for inhabitants. Located on the slopes of Mount Dona Marta, Santa Marta offers some spectacular views of the city and its environs. n John Elliott is a public diplomacy Foreign Service officer, presently serving as vice consul at Consulate General Rio de Janeiro. John often walks in the city to meet local people and seek interesting photos. He took this shot with a Nikon D-80 and 28 mm lens in 2012. You can see more of his photography at www.TheHumanPulse.com .