• English
  • Português
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
RioOnWatch
  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
    • Understanding Rio
    • Reference Articles
  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
    • North Zone
    • West Zone
    • Greater Rio
  • Policies
    • Public Security
    • Housing
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
    • Community Solution
    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
      • Anti-Racist Series
      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
    • Interviews/Profiles
    • Research & Analysis
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
  • For Journos
  • Donate
Latest News
  • [ June 1, 2026 ] Visiting Rio Before July 30th? Don’t Miss ‘Favela Climate Memory’ Exhibition at the Favela Museum Overlooking Ipanema: ‘We Learned to Survive So We Can Tell Others How’ by Community Contributors
  • [ May 31, 2026 ] Rio de Janeiro Evictions Museum Celebrates Ten Years of Art, Memory and Resistance Since the Olympic Games #LegacyWatch
  • [ May 31, 2026 ] Critical Urban Park in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone Is at Risk of Disappearing After Decades of Government Neglect *Highlight
  • [ May 27, 2026 ] ‘We Belong to the Land’: An Interview With John Mussington on the Urgency of Learning from Barbuda’s Communal Land System [VIDEO] #GentrificationWatch
  • [ May 25, 2026 ] As the World Cup Kicks Off Across North America, Communities in Host Cities Are Pushing Back Against Rising Rents—With a Tool Born in the Civil Rights Movement [RELEASE] #GentrificationWatch
Homehistory

history

*Highlight

Complex and Intelligent, the Favela Has Its Own Geography

By Preto Zezé • Translation by Staff • May 15, 2026

Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Preto Zezé published in O Globo, click here.  In the year Milton Santos would have turned 100, perhaps the best tribute to the Bahian geographer is not […]

#CommunityMedia

In Print and Online, ‘Fala Roça’ Newspaper Is a Comprehensive Tool for Citizenship in Rocinha, Brazil’s Largest Favela

By Amanda Baroni Lopes • Translation by Marina Devine Guzmán • March 11, 2026

Clique aqui para Português Check out our complete series of community media profiles here. Founded in 2013, Fala Roça is a community media outlet based in Rocinha, in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone. Its mission is […]

*Highlight

‘Valongo’s New Blacks Cemetery’ Trilogy Reveals Deep Roots of Structural Racism and Urban Inequality in Rio [BOOK REVIEW]

By Paulo Gabriel dos Santos • Translation by Louisa Morrison • March 5, 2026

Clique aqui para Português Released in full in 2025, the trilogy Valongo’s New Blacks Cemetery – An Impactful Journey Through the History of Slavery in Brazil, organized by the New Blacks Institute (IPN) and João […]

by Community Contributors

‘It’s the Place of Resistance of Our Existence’: Duque de Caxias’ Culture Manor is a Hub for Art, Education and Leisure

By Fabio Leon • Translation by Marina Devine Guzmán • January 29, 2026

Clique aqui para Português Rap battles, DJ-led workshops, rock concerts, festas juninas (traditional June Festivals), Halloween parties, English classes and political meetings to decide the city’s future. In recent years, a bit of everything has […]

*Highlight

‘To Lose Your Memory Is to Lose Your Essence’: Vidigal Celebrates Its 85th Anniversary With Cultural Event Inspired by the ‘Favela Climate Memory’ Project

By Bárbara Dias • Translation by Kay Alvito • December 15, 2025

Clique aqui para Português On October 26, Vidigal, a favela in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone, celebrated its 85th anniversary. Organized by the Vidigal Memories Nucleus, the celebratory event featured the Favela Climate Memory exhibition, a […]

Posts pagination

1 2 … 64 »

RioOnWatch’s anti-racist reporting series won silver in the 2022 inaugural The Anthem Awards, in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category among Best Local Awareness Programs.
A Project of

About

In May 2010, Catalytic Communities launched what was originally Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch (hence RioOnWatch), a program to bring visibility to favela community voices in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. This news site, RioOnWatch.org, grew into a much-needed and unique reference featuring favela perspectives on the urban transformation of Rio. With diverse and deeply interlinked articles by a mix of community reporters, resident opinions, solidarity reporters, international observers, and academic researchers, we work to engender a more accurate picture of favelas, their contributions to the city, and the potential of favela-led community development in Rio and around the world.

Contact & Support

contact@rioonwatch.org
WhatsApp +55.21.991.976.444
USA VOIP +1.301.637.7360

Volunteer | Donate

10 Years! Check Out Our Story:

Awards

Special Thanks

Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil
World Habitat
Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña
Pastoral de Favelas
Center for CLT Innovation
Global Land Alliance
Ecocity Builders
Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation
SDSU Behner Stiefel Center
The Rio Times
Forum Grita Baixada
Beto Paixão Graphic Design
Architecture Museum of Vienna
Yale School of Architecture

  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
    • Understanding Rio
    • Reference Articles
  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
    • North Zone
    • West Zone
    • Greater Rio
  • Policies
    • Public Security
    • Housing
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
    • Community Solution
    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
      • Anti-Racist Series
      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
    • Interviews/Profiles
    • Research & Analysis
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
  • For Journos
  • Donate

© 2026 Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International