Child and kite: flying aspirations in Rio

During field work in the favela of Santa Marta, which is built in one of the most beautiful spots of Rio de Janeiro, the principal investigator spotted this child preparing to fly his kite on the roof of a house. Oblivious to the largeness of the natural beauty and social complexity of his surroundings, he was very small but all play and flow of action, a moment of untroubled pleasure and invincible imagination. Against the lush of the Atlantic forest and the majestic Corcovado Mountain where Christ the Redeemer stands, he himself stood large and strong, a powerful symbol of the authority of play, the resilient and creative capacities of childhood, an intimation of things to come. Kite flying is a striking feature of everyday life in the favela and one of the main forms of play for its children.