From an addict and respected leader of Rocinha’s traffic in the 90’s, to a writer, pedagogue, and devotee to literature. Meet Raquel de Oliveira, a woman who made her way in and “miraculously” her way out of drug traffic. Who now dedicates her life to her family and her writing, sharing her life experiences with young people, aiming to change the mindset that leads many of them to start early in the criminal world.
Raquel lives in Rocinha, one of Rio de Janeiro‘s most deprived favelas, since she was born. Her first contact with illicit substances happened when she was six years old. Her family was very poor, and due to the food shortage, she started to smell shoemakers’ glue to inhibit hunger. Not long after, her parents started to use other types of drugs, like marijuana. When she was nine, her grandma sold her to a man who commanded the “Numbers Game” at the time. At eleven, she gained her first gun as a gift; three years later, the man finally included her in his criminal business, and it was also the time that she committed her first murder.
Throughout her life, never losing touch with crime, she got married and had two children. But the relationship didn’t last long, and soon she got divorced and took the kids with her. After that, she coincidentally met with an old friend, Ednaldo de Souza, known as “Naldo”, who had also entered the crime world and became a drug dealer, one of the most sought-after at the time. They started a relationship, and, with that, Raquel got closer to the drug trafficking process, started to use harder drugs, and began to work with them directly.
They stayed together for eight long years until, in 1988, Naldo was brutally killed in a conflict between the criminals and the police, leaving open the space that he occupied in the organization. Raquel took his place before anyone else would and began her one year and nine months journey being the first woman commanding drug traffic at Rocinha. According to her, that was one of the worst times of her life, especially in relation to drug abuse. She had to deal with Naldo’s death, command 17 men, and take care of her two children – drugs were her way out of everything that was happening at the time. She found herself lost and decided to renounce the position. Her superiors allowed her to leave criminal activities, and that’s when her new life began.
Raquel started to attend rehabilitation and therapy, finished high school, and graduated in pedagogy. One day, her therapist gave a tip that sparked interest on her interest. He said writing was an amazing way to cope with traumas and addictions, putting everything you feel on paper can make you visualize your thoughts more clearly and feel lighter. So she took his tip, and that changed everything for her. Writing became her escape from anxiety, pain, and gave her the pleasure she needed for her life.
Only literature keeps me up to face my story after 30 years.
Raquel lecturing on Festa Literária das Periferias, in 2015
Nowadays, Raquel still lives in Rocinha with her family and acquaintances. She reported that she continues to be very respected, and even after everything that happened there, she still loves the place she lives. With the evolution of her writing, she released the book “Bandida: a número um” which was the inspiration for a Brazilian film of the same name that was released in June 2024. She is constantly present at literature events, speaking her mind about favela culture and everything she went through, seeking to reach young people who live in the same reality, so that her story does not repeat itself.
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The article above was edited by Clarissa Palácio.
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