Posts tagged Vila Autódromo
Voices of Vila Autódromo: Barrão, the Fisherman
May 16th
Paolo Roberto Ferreira Mezes, known by all as Barrão, moved to Vila Autódromo sixteen years ago. After learning to fish and dedicating himself to the craft, he brought his wife and two young children to the peaceful, lakeside favela in Rio’s West Zone to turn the craft into a living. He decided to swap his home in Vila Valqueire for his brother’s abandoned waterfront property in Vila Autódromo. That way, Barrão was able to fish from his own backyard. In the years following the move, Barrão and his wife welcomed two more children, and they began fostering a loyal client base More >
Reshaping Rio [VIDEO]
Apr 25th
Since winning the bids for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the City of Rio de Janeiro has embarked on a colossal campaign to enhance its international image. However, this has come with a high price tag for those living in Rio’s favelas, particularly their most vulnerable residents who find themselves being forcefully removed from their homes More >
Voices of Vila Autódromo: José Arimateia, the Baker
Apr 23rd
In 1986, the newlywed José Arimateia moved to Vila Autódromo to buy his first home and to start a family. He moved from his parents’ house in a neighboring community, Vila Sapê, though he was born in Paraíba. He and his wife, Maria das Dores Catanduba de Andrade, were the first of their families to move to Vila Autódromo, a small favela in Rio’s West Zone, which they chose for its safety and peacefulness. Now, 27 years later, their success and happiness have drawn a dozen family members to move to their beloved community.
When José first moved to Vila Autódromo, he More >
‘The City is Ours!’ A Protest for Rio’s Public Spaces
Mar 24th
Last Saturday, March 15th, a few hundred spirited citizens gathered in unity to protest the wave of privatization that is accompanying Rio’s preparations for next year’s World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, in a march from Praça Saens Peña in Tijuca to the Maracanã stadium.
The event, named ‘The City is Ours!,’ was organized by the Popular Committee for the World Cup and Olympics, an organization created to chronicle and redress the violence, abuses and illegalities in the run-up to the events. As the band began playing, brightly-colored facepaint, stickers, t-shirts and pamphlets circulated, journalists interviewed and took notes, and banners with More >
Vila Autódromo Under Pressure from City to Accept Resettlement Housing
Mar 22nd
“We are here today because the Prefeitura (City government) is putting psychological pressure [on the residents of Vila Autódromo],” explained Lucia Cerqueira, a representative of the Catholic Church community organizing group Pastoral de Favelas in Jacarepaguá. The Pastoral and others from a network that includes public defenders, housing rights organizations and journalists, responded to an urgent request on Monday, March 4th to mobilize in light of the “battalion” of city employees who have been ceaselessly going door-to-door attempting to convince residents to sign up for the “Parque Carioca” resettlement housing currently under construction.
Vila Autódromo is a community with a long history of More >
