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Latest News
  • [ April 2, 2026 ] ‘International Favelas Conference’ Promotes a (dis)Integrated City: From Erasing Favela Residents to Global Marketing [OPINION] #ParticipationWatch
  • [ March 31, 2026 ] Rio Civil Society Forms Front to Defend Trees From City Hall #ParticipationWatch
  • [ March 29, 2026 ] Award-Winning Middle School in Penha Favela Hosts Gardening Collective Action Engaging Passionate Young Environmental Leaders *Highlight
  • [ March 28, 2026 ] Wave of Deadly Tree Pruning has Left Jacarepaguá Resident Desperate for Shade: Account Exposes Senseless Loss to Rio’s West Zone by Community Contributors
  • [ March 22, 2026 ] The ‘Carolinas of Jacutinga’ Promote Recycling, Women’s Dignity, Art, Environmental Education, Heritage and Sustainable Development Across Five Cities in Greater Rio *Highlight
HomeReviews

Reviews

Favela Tourism

The Spectacular Favela: Violence in Modern Brazil [BOOK REVIEW]

By Meg Healy • March 1, 2016

For decades, media coverage of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas characterized these neighborhoods as peripheral and violent, documenting organized crime, armed robberies and homicides as somehow inherent to the informal city. As misconceptions of the nature […]

Favela Culture

Paying Homage to Favela Author Carolina Maria de Jesus

By Benito Aranda-Comer, Marcela Benavides • November 11, 2015

Clique aqui para Português In honor of Brazil’s Black Awareness Month, the Afro-Brazilian Museum (Museu Afro Brasil) in São Paulo is showcasing an exhibition on the life and work of Carolina Maria de Jesus, Brazil’s […]

Photo: Flickr, Vitor Silva
#UPPWatch

Nemesis: One Man and the Battle for Rio [BOOK REVIEW]

By Sarah Jacobs • October 22, 2015

Clique aqui para Português At the beginning of Nemesis: One Man and the Battle for Rio, journalist Misha Glenny recalls a tour he took of Rocinha, Rio’s largest single favela, in 2007. During the tour, […]

#EvictionsWatch

Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America, and What We Can Do About It [BOOK REVIEW]

By David Robertson • October 7, 2015

Clique aqui para Português In the field of psychiatry, there has never been a word that formally diagnoses the pain and trauma resulting from being removed from a home. In her book, Root Shock: How Tearing […]

#UPPWatch

“The Trigger”: Film Depicts the Disappearance and Death of Amarildo de Souza [FILM REVIEW]

By Sarah Jacobs • June 18, 2015

Clique aqui para Português The case of Amarildo de Souza, the bricklayer who was tortured to death by the Military Police in Rocinha in 2013, made waves across Brazil and abroad. His death became a symbol […]

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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.

Contact & Support

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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

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