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  • [ July 7, 2026 ] Eco Ableism in Favelas: People with Disabilities and Atypical Families Speak Out About Challenges, Routines and Survival Strategies by Community Contributors
  • [ June 30, 2026 ] 10 Years Later: Rio 2016 Olympics Served to Consolidate Speculative Plan Rejected by Pioneering Brazilian Urban Planner Lúcio Costa #LegacyWatch
  • [ June 29, 2026 ] Housing at the Center: What the World Urban Forum Teaches Us About Urgency, Climate and Invisibility [OPINION] #HousingWatch
  • [ June 26, 2026 ] 30 Years Since the First Promises and 10 Years After the Olympics, the Cleanup of Guanabara Bay Remains Rio’s Main Challenge #LegacyWatch
  • [ June 22, 2026 ] Study Shows that Violence Violates the Right to Education in Rio de Janeiro: ‘More Shots, Fewer Classes; Fewer Classes, More Criminals’ #UPPWatch
HomeOpinion

Opinion

Rolezinho at the Shopping Metrô Itaquera in São Paulo. Photo by Filipe Serrano
Opinion

How Many People Constitute a ‘Rolezinho?’

By Pedro Portella • Translation by Juliana M. de Souza • January 21, 2014

Clique aqui para Português What was the value in all of the years Nelson Mandela served in prison to defend the end of South Africa’s apartheid? We are now called to revisit this question after […]

#CommunityMedia

“Beltrame, We Don’t Accept Losing Another Generation”

By Mônica Francisco • Translation by Kayla Boisvert • November 28, 2013

Last Tuesday November 19, an interview with Rio State Security secretary, José Mariano Beltrame, was published in which he claimed that Rio may have to lose a generation before the situation of violence in Rio’s […]

#CommunityMedia

“The Governor pacified Rocinha just as in Germany. The only thing missing was a gas chamber.”

By Davison Coutinho • Translation by Harriet Batey • October 3, 2013

For the original by Davison Coutinho in Portuguese in Jornal do Brasil click here.  A community abandoned by the public sector for decades, dominated by drug trafficking, under pressure and oppressed for a lifetime. Suddenly, the dream […]

#UPPWatch

The Politics of Pacification in the Favelas

By Raull Santiago • Translation by Charlotte Livingstone • September 30, 2013

You don’t respect me as a citizen with full rights. I don’t respect your initiatives, and laws which I didn’t participate in creating. Favelas are the greatest proof that we can progress free of what […]

Civil Society

Act on Demands and Strengthen Civil Society

By Observatório de Favelas • Translation by Rachel Fox • July 1, 2013

Click here for the original editorial from Observatorio de Favelas, in Portuguese. It’s been a long time since so many Brazilians have taken to the streets. In major cities more and more people are turning […]

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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.

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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
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    • Education
    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
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    • Sustainability
    • Participation
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    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
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      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
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    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
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