Archive for February, 2012
9 Months Post Eviction: 3 Households Left Unsettled
Feb 29th
Nine months after eviction by Rio’s city government, Carlos Machado Lopes and his family–his elderly mother (Jacy), brother (Edmilsom) and sister-in-law (Vanessa)–still do not have homes. Their home in Campinho was demolished without warning last May, and after dividing up a measly and delayed compensation among them, Carlos had to move in with a friend 30km away in Miguel Couto. He could only afford to buy a motorcycle and now works as a moto-taxi driver with his share of the compensation. Carlos’ ailing mother had to stay behind in Campinho in her daughter’s overcrowded and precarious house, while Carlos’ brother and More >
Warning: Creating default object from empty value in /homepages/21/d325976276/htdocs/RioOnWatchFinal/wp-includes/comment-template.php on line 663
The Myth of Carnival
Feb 28th
As legend goes, once upon a time there were two blocos (carnival street parties) leaving from opposite ends of Ipanema. In their first year they met in the middle and turned around to return to their point of departure. The same happened in their second year. Then in their third year the two blocos met in the middle… but this time somebody screamed ‘Que merda é essa?!’ (What the ****?!) and the two blocos mixed becoming the now famous ‘Que Merda é Essa?’ bloco of Ipanema.
This story, however, is not typical of the birth or nature of most blocos. This year’s More >
Vila Autódromo: Peaceful and Orderly Since 1967
Feb 24th
On a hot summer day, just before Carnival, a group of us decided to walk through Vila Autódromo, a community that is targeted by city government for removal. The city’s claim is that Vila Autódromo represents an illegal invasion of public land and must be removed, though in just two years the precise reason for its eviction has changed four times: for construction of the Olympic Media Center; for an Olympic ‘security perimeter’; for environmental reasons; and most recently (last month), because the TransCarioca and TransOlympic roadways will pass through the area.
However, in 1994 the 4,000 or so residents were granted More >
‘Living Park’ Project in Parque da Cidade
Feb 20th
Parque Vivo (Living Park) is a project that works with children, youth and the elderly in Parque da Cidade, a small, relatively unknown but well-developed and well-located favela in Gávea, offering martial arts, aerobics, dance, English and many other classes. Parque Vivo’s programs aim to keep children and youth off the streets and keep the elderly active in the community. In addition to teaching classroom and life skills, Parque Vivo strengthens participants’ self-worth.
Find out about Parque Vivo’s Arts and Crafts and Muay Thai classes in this video prepared by students from the community:
Tour Parque da Cidade here:
More >Muzema Residents Discuss Threat of Eviction
Feb 17th
The 30-year-old community of Muzema is situated between a lagoon and the mountainside, adjacent to Jardim Oceânico, a wealthy area in Barra da Tijuca. One of the community’s most vibrant streets, paved and finished by residents and bustling with neighborhood events, is at risk of eviction. The city argues this is necessary in order to dredge a canal which runs behind the street’s homes. Yet the same canal was dredged on the other side of the community under a previous administration with no relocations.
The video “Muzema Residents Discuss Threat of Eviction,” shows interviews with community residents about how this situation More >
