Archive for March, 2012
Quilombos to Discuss Territorial Sustainability During Rio+20 People’s Summit
Mar 31st
Original article published in Portuguese here.
Defense of land title and the sustainability of Quilombo territories is top priority for the Quilombola communities* that will participate in June’s People’s Summit. The event, organized by Rio civil society, will be held in parallel to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro.
Quilombo leader Damião Braga told Agência Brasil that little has been done in Brazil in terms of giving the remaining Quilombo populations title for the land where their ancestors settled. Titling is prioritized on paper, but ”in terms of objective action, nothing is done,” he declared.
On March 23rd More >
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Favela Point Launches: Strength in a Moment of Uncertainty for Providência
Mar 29th
At the top of the Morro de Providência´s yellow and green stairway, a newly bright blue building – completing the Brazil flag color scheme – houses Favela Point, a brand new restaurant, bar and snack joint. Opened last week, Favela Point is already a victory for the seven women who developed the enterprise through Elas Social Foundation´s ´Elas em Movimento´ program to service residents and tourists alike.
As one of the partners, 20 year old Ana Carla de Silva Chagas explains, “We´re operating to serve the community and tourists, because here at the top there´s nothing like this.”
With support from the More >
The Show Resumes: Gang Strife Returns to Rocinha
Mar 26th
Note: We sincerely apologize for the initial erroneous attribution of authorship on this article. There was some confusion as several reports came in simultaneously.
Unreported in the local press, gang strife has returned to Rocinha. On the night of March 18th a shoot-out occurred between the remaining drug traffickers and Shock troops currently occupying Rocinha. The shoot-out left three traficantes dead, the community scared, and the press silent. Against the advice of residents I decided to spend the nights of the 20th and 21st in Rocinha. What follows is a description of the conflict, as I saw it unfold.
At 9:30pm on the More >
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The Gringos Are Coming! Poverty Programs Gentrify Rocinha
Mar 23rd
Over the past month I’ve crashed the occasional night on the couch of a friend in Rocinha, as is common among many young foreigners who visit Rio’s favelas not only to research or volunteer, but to socialize. Nothing out of the ordinary, or so it seems. Except, that is, if you ask with whom and where. My friend is foreign and the apartment he is sharing with another ‘gringo’ is part of the PAC housing unit in Rocinha.
PAC is Brazil’s federal Growth Acceleration Program, launched in 2007 by then-president Lula. The program entered its second phase in 2010 as a “strategic More >
Women in Leadership: Conflict Mediators
Mar 21st
CatComm recently surveyed some of the most active women community leaders in our network about womanhood and community leadership to get a sense of women’s voices and knowledge across Rio’s communities. The initial result is this article, first in a series which highlights common threads and shared experiences, sorting out the challenges, strengths, and nuances that womanhood brings to community leadership and community life in general. This Women’s History Month, we are committed to bringing visibility to women’s stories.
Several participants either directly or subtly mentioned communication and conflict mediation as central to their work. “I believe women are more versatile and More >
