TRAVEL: ABOUT PORTUGAL AND VENEZUELA

ABOUT PORTUGAL AND VENEZUELA

Consequences of long-term financial crisis in Portugal

Construction on the Bella Guarda condos began in 2006 on the outskirts of Lisbon. The project, spanning two blocks and consisting of 75 apartments, promised a rooftop pool, mini-golf, a private park, a children’s playground, an exclusive view of the Tagus River, a video surveillance system and a built-in sound system. However, following Portugal’s financial crisis, the builder went bankrupt and the property passed into the hands of a private bank, unfinished and abandoned indefinitely.

Eventually people began to occupy the empty structure. Some of them had slept on the streets for years while others had only recently lost their jobs and could no longer afford their former homes. Some of them were just passing through. Others came to stay.

To protect themselves from the rain and cold, they block windows and doors with wooden planks. For food, some rely on groceries they receive from a charity. Others travel to the city daily to get lunch and dinner from other organizations.

Some living there have no family at all. Others have been forgotten by their families. Some have no jobs, while some find occasional work where an extra pair of hands is needed. Many turn to alcohol in an attempt to forget the conditions in which they live. But all have come to call the empty structure “home.”

One of the residents washes his teeth on the balcony of the building. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

A cat wanders among garbage thrown out by inhabitants of the condo. Without work and without good reasons to stay sober, some of the residents turn to alcohol for comfort. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Maciel wakes up early to confirm that his clothes are dry. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Maciel eats his lunch in a hurry before going to a job interview. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

José eats lunch while Maciel prepares documents for a job interview in the city. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

After a sleepless night trying to minimize the damage made by the rain, Ivan takes a nap on the floor which is still wet. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Manuel fills a bucket with water in the elevator shaft of the condo which collects water from the rain and serves as a reservoir to the people living in the empty building. Manuel uses this water for all purposes except to drink. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Manuel bathes using water heated with a small gas bowl. With no electricity, no piped water and no bathroom the residents had to make adaptions to some of their most common day-to-day tasks. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Maciel shaves with the help of a piece of broken glass. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

João combs his hair in front of a mirror before leaving the condo to try to obtain the social subvention from the state. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

View from one of the many unfinished apartments of the city bridge shrouded in morning mist. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

José leaves the condo to pick up his lunch. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

After a sleepless night trying to minimize the damage made by the rain, Ivan takes a nap on his room floor while he leaves his mattresses and clothes to dry on the window. He arrived late to the condo and did not have time to close the window with wooden planks. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Ivan puts the bread that he doesn't eat outside the window of his "room" but it ends up growing mold because it is exposed to the elements. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

An unfinished pool collects rain water on the top of the condo building where Maciel used to dry his clothes. In mid-January he will fly to England in search of work. "In Portugal there is no more hope for better days," he says. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Maciel cuts a wooden plank for the door of his new "bedroom" after a disagreement with his roommate. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Maciel peeks into the courtyard as a group of four men steal iron from the condo. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

With no bathrooms the residents have to take care of their physiological needs in the backyard. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post)#

The Bella Guarda condo can be seen by any driver who travels to Lisbon or to Porto from the main motorway. Like many other unfinished buildings in Portugal this is a reflexion of a country with a stagnate economy. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Manuel tries to fix an oil lamp while using his phone as a flashlight. Manuel worked for many years in many countries in the construction sector. His family still believes that he is working somewhere in Germany. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

With the state subsidy cut and suffering from a cold Manuel has no other choice but to make his own medicine. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

João tunes his small battery radio while listening to a soccer game between Benfica and Estoril. With no electricity, the residents have to use candles and oil lamps, and usually go to bed very early. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Manuel descends the stairs towards the elevator shaft of the condo which accumulates water from the rain and serves as a reservoir. Manuel uses this water for all purposes except to drink. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

João washes his tupperware in a large bowl after his lunch. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Manuel usually wakes early, shaves and goes downtown, where he spends most of his day. He worked for many years and in many countries in the construction sector. His family still believes that he is working somewhere in Germany. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Maciel looks over the city and the river from one of the unfinished condominium apartments. In mid-January he will fly to England in search of work. "In Portugal there is no more hope for better days," he says. (Photo by Bruno Colaço, Special to The Denver Post) #

Photographs and story by Bruno Colaço, a freelance photojournalist based in Lisbon, Portugal and graduate of the Portuguese Institute of Photography. This was a personal project for Colaço who worked on it from April of 2013 through December 2013. Colaço passes the building every day on his way to work and eventually noticed a window blocked with wooden planks causing him to want to know more. He says he is no longer working on the project but is still in touch with Mr. Manual, “A curious fact about my approach to the people living there is that the one that open the doors for me was the one that I never photographed and the one that in the beginning didn’t accepted my presence so well turned out to be the one with whom I spent most of the time, Mr. Manuel.

The tallest slum in the world: Venezuelan skyscraper made famous by TV thriller Homeland has 45 floors, a helipad and large balconies with wonderful mountain views... but is home to squatters

Half-finished building was made famous when it was used as a set in the third series of U.S. drama Homeland
It was intended to be a shining new financial centre in Venezuela's capital before it was abandoned in 1994
The building was seized by squatters however in 2007 and now about 3,000 people call it their home
Residents in the city view it as a den of thieves, but those who live there say it is a haven from crime-ridden slums

For Nicholas Brody, the star of hit U.S. TV show Homeland, the half-finished Tower of David in Venezuela was both a prison and a refuge.

On the run as a wanted Al Qaeda terrorist, the shaven-headed Brody, played by the English actor Damian Lewis, got sucked into a world of gun-wielding thugs and drug abuse.

But for the people who live there in real-life the tower made famous by the TV show is their home.

Standing 45 storeys tall, complete with helicopter landing pad and glorious views of the Avila mountain range, it was built with the intention of becoming a shining new financial centre in Venezuela's capital.

Since it was abandoned roughly 20 years ago, amid a massive run on the country's banking sector and the death of its developer, this incomplete skyscraper has been transformed into what has been described as the tallest slum in the world.

The building was seized by squatters in 2007, when then-President Hugo Chavez's socialist government turned a blind eye, and now about 3,000 people call it their home.

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Standing tall: The incomplete skyscraper, dubbed the Tower of David, stands 45 storeys tall in the city of Caracas, Venezuela

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Home: Adriana Gutierrez and her son Carlos Adrian watch TV as they sit on their bed in their 24th floor apartment inside the skyscraper

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Salvage operation: Men rest after salvaging metal on the 30th floor of the 'Tower of David' skyscraper in Caracas in February

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Incomplete: Children stand along the corridors of the skyscraper, which was intended to be a shining new financial centre but ended up being abandoned in 1994

Yet while many residents of Caracas view the skyscraper as a den of thieves and a symbol of disrespect for property, residents see it as a safe haven from the city's crime-ridden slums.

'There is far more order and far less crime in here than out there,' 27th-floor resident Thais Ruiz, 36, told Reuters.

Like many inhabitants, Ruiz abandoned her shack in the violent Petare slum of east Caracas in 2010 to build a spacious four-bedroom apartment in the tower where she lives with her husband and five children. The family at first lived in a tent in a space initially intended to be a fancy corner office with a vista, but over the years they hauled bricks, furniture, water tanks and even barbecue equipment up the 27 flights of stairs to build their home.

'I never lived in an apartment before. We're so comfortable now,' she says. 'We had to get out of Petare and the daily gang shootouts. Once we found a dead body on our doorstep. Now look, we can leave the door wide open.'

The building does seem to have escaped the violence and turf warfare that has followed similar building takeovers in the city over the last ten years.

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Occupied: Children ride bicycles on one of the top inhabited floors of the 'Tower of David' skyscraper in Caracas. Squatters seized the building in 2007

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Safe haven: Men salvage metal on the 30th floor of the abandoned skyscraper in Caracas. Residents see the building as a safe haven from the city's slums

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Tallest slum in the world: Work was sufficiently advanced by the time the tower was abandoned for the first 28 floors to be habitable

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Security: Families pay a 200 bolivar ($32) monthly 'condominium' fee, which helps fund 24-hour security patrols

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Working out: Gabriel Rivas, 30, lifts weights on a balcony on the 28th floor of the Caracas skyscraper. The building has featured in an episode of U.S. TV drama Homeland

Communal corridors are freshly-polished, rules and rotas are posted everywhere, and non-compliance is punished with extra 'social work' decided by a cooperative and floor delegates who make up a mini-government.

Work was sufficiently advanced by the time the tower was abandoned for the first 28 floors to be habitable, though the squatters have had to brick up dangerous open spaces, and put in their own basic plumbing, electrical and water systems.

Families pay a 200 bolivar ($32) monthly 'condominium' fee, which helps fund 24-hour security patrols.

Yet few deny the conditions can still be precarious.

One young girl fell to her death through a hole in the wall a few years ago, while a drunk motorcyclist rode off an edge and killed himself.

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Leaving for work: A man, who is on his way to work, walks through the lobby of the 'Tower of David' skyscraper in Caracas

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Business: A woman looks out of a window of her shop in a corridor inside the skyscraper. The building does seem to have escaped the violence and turf warfare that has followed similar building takeovers in the city over the last ten year

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Living conditions: Thais Ruiz, 36, talks on the telephone and drinks coffee as she sits under a crack in the roof of her living room on the 27th floor of the skyscraper

At work: Maria works in a sewing workshop in her apartment inside the tower. Residents acknowledge the tower had problems with crime but insist miscreants have been kicked out over the last 18 months, and that a new leadership is keeping the house in order

The building has been dubbed the 'Tower of David' in honour of its developer - financier and horse-breeder David Brillembourg.

It has also featured in an episode of U.S. TV drama Homeland, while doocumentaries annd analyses of the tower have been shown at art festivals around the world.

The tower however is not without its problems - neighboours in the area surrounding the tower have complained of robberies, ATM hold-ups, and drug trafficking taking place under the noses of authorities.

Residents acknowledge the tower has had problems with crime but insist miscreants have been kicked out over the last 18 months, and that a new leadership is keeping the house in order.

'Everyone thinks we're a bunch of thieves and thugs in here. We are not "invaders", we're occupants of an empty space,' argues another resident, Luis Raul Pinto, 63.

The former government employee drives a taxi by day before clambering up to his roomy apartment every evening.

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Rules: Communal corridors inside the building are freshly-polished, rules and rotas are posted everywhere, and non-compliance is punished with extra 'social work' decided by a cooperative and floor delegates who make up a mini-government

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Leaving: Paola Medina, 29, packs as she prepare to leave her apartment after living in the 'Tower of David' skyscraper for almost a year

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Residents: A girl rides a bicycle on a balcony in the 'Tower of David'. Though the tower could be viewed as an indictment of his housing policy, inhabitants appear fiercely 'Chavista'

'Sometimes, I'm driving customers and they look up at the tower and tut "Look at those criminals in there". When I drop them off, I tell them "Hey, I live in the Tower of David, I'm not a criminal, come and have a coffee with me some time".'

Though the tower could be viewed as an indictment of his housing policy, inhabitants appear fiercely 'Chavista'.

Posters of Chavez, under the phrase 'Eternal Commander', adorn walls. Some have photos of him by their beds. The former president, who died last year of cancer, spoke affectionately of the tower's residents several times.

'Chavez's legacy is the values you see right here in this tower,' said Nicolas Alvarez, a 38-year-old filmmaker who first entered the tower to give photography courses. He ended up moving in after getting married and struggling to find a home.

'What Chavez did was to rescue the sense that we all have the same right to live on this planet.'

Thousands have posted nude photos of themselves after a heated clash between university students and police April 3
It is an act of solidarity with a student who was stripped naked during the violent encounter between government protestors and masked loyalists

Thousands of Venezuelans are getting naked on Twitter to protest the brutal force government loyalists and police used against student demonstrators in a violent clash last week.

The photos are a showing of solidarity with a student protestor who was widely seen in pictures being stripped of his clothes and shoved to the ground in the violent April 3 encounter between government protestors and masked loyalists.

Along with many of the revealing photos are hashtags supporting the students of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), where the violence erupted as student marchers demanded an end to rocketing inflation and dwindling resources.

'Better Naked Than...': Venezuelan marketing professional Ricardo Cie (pictured) reportedly started a viral trend in his country of posting naked photos along with hashtags in support of student protestors brutally attacked by government loyalists last week

According to BBC Mundo, the idea originated with Ricardo Cie, the VP of a marketing firm.

Cie posted a photo of himself naked along with the hashtags #MejorDesnudosQue (Better Naked Than...) and #DesnudosConLaUCV (Naked with the Central University of Venezuela).

He then convinced friends to do the same and within days, the hashtags had been used hundreds of thousands of times and thousands had posted their own naked photos.

The violence at CUV was part of months of unrest stemming from the affects of an unbeliveable inflation rate, which was 56.2 per cent last year.

Viral: Thousands have followed suit with Cie and posted their own naked photos while some 200,000 tweeted the accompanying hashtags in support of UCV students over the course of just a few days

Solidatiry: The nude photos are a show of solidarity with students attacked for protesting against skyrocketing inflation in Venezuela

Casualties: The university protest was one among a string of them since February, which have left 35 dead

Masked militia stormed the Caracas university hurling stones and fireworks as tensions mounted over Venezuela's crippled economy.

Pro-government students battered their anti-establishment peers with sticks, hospitalising three. Hundreds of riot police deployed tear gas and grenades to bring the hours-long conflict under control.

Bandana-clad fundamentalists started throwing rocks at police officers and the scene descended into near-anarchy.

Some protestors took their nudity off the internet and into the real world by marching through city streets

Student leader Juan Requesens says at least three protesters were hospitalised with serious injuries.

The militia members prevented journalists from photographing a student who lay on the ground, apparently gravely injured.

Thirty-five have been killed in the months of clashes since February as protestors call for Nicolas Maduro's resignation and complain about a litany of problems from rampant crime to food shortages.

The government says they are seeking a coup against Maduro.

The Twitter nudes surfaced after photos emerged of this protestor being brutally thrown to the ground and stripped of his clothes by government loyalist on April 3

Photos from Venezuela – A year after Hugo Chavez’ death, his eyes are everywhere

A year after the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, images depicting his eyes are seen everywhere around Venezuela- from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. Over the past two months, AFP photographer Leo Ramirez made this unique series of photos using a camera phone, entitled “The Eyes That See You.”

A giant billboard with an image depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez is seen in Caracas on March 04, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

A traffic jam under graffiti depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on March 04, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

Pedestrians walk next to a graffiti depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on January 16, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

A woman wears a T-shirt with an image depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez during a Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rally in Caracas on January 23, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

People are sitting around an image depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez during a baseball Caribbean Series game in Nueva Esparta state, Venezuela on February 07, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

A man waits at a bus stop next to a graffitti depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on March 04, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

A man holds a book with multiple images depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on January 20, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

People are sitting in front of an image depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez during a baseball Caribbean Series game in Nueva Esparta state, Venezuela on February 07, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

Street billboards (L) with images depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez are seen in a highway at Nueva Esparta state, Venezuela on February 06, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

A man walks next to a car with a sticker with an image depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on January 12, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

People walk underneath an image depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on January 16, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

People walks next to a truck with an image depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on January 26, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

Pedestrian walks next to a graffiti depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on January 22, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images #

Images depicting the eyes of late Venezuelan former President Hugo Chavez are seen atop of a building in Caracas on January 30, 2014. A year after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the image that depicts his eyes are seen everywhere, from giant billboards and buildings to t-shirts and notebooks. This photo was taken with a mobile phone.