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Latest News
  • [ January 13, 2026 ] 10 Years Since the Rio Olympics: Vila Autódromo Continues to Resist Gentrification Pressures Amidst New ‘Olympic Barra’ Neighborhood #EvictionsWatch
  • [ January 8, 2026 ] COP30 Civil Society Rundown: Thousands of Communities and Social Movements, Representing Favelas, Indigenous, Quilombola and Other Marginalized Groups Fill Belém During COP30 [IMAGES] *Highlight
  • [ December 31, 2025 ] ‘What We Want Aren’t Bodies on the Ground… It’s Recognition of [Our] People Creating Solutions’: Penha Favelas Hold Composters and Integrated Health Events Highlighting Local Climate Memories *Highlight
  • [ December 26, 2025 ] 2025 Retrospective of Top International Reporting on Rio’s Favelas #MediaWatch
  • [ December 24, 2025 ] ‘No One in Terra Firme Will Sleep Hungry Today!’ Amid Adversity, Belém Favela Initiatives Distribute 2,200 Meals During COP30 With Support from the People’s Summit Solidarity Kitchen *Highlight
HomePerceptions

Perceptions

Gilmara helped create gay rights marches in Maré, Alemão, and Rocinha--three of Rio's largest favelas. Photo by: Fabio Teixeira
*Highlight

“Being Gay in a Favela Hasn’t Gotten Easier. We’re Still Fighting for Our Lives.”

By Jefferson Puff • Translation by Sarah Jacobs • February 10, 2016

Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Jefferson Puff in Portuguese published by BBC Brasil click here. “In the favela you can’t kiss or walk holding hands. Gays, lesbians and transexuals living in favelas have […]

#CommunityMedia

What the Mainstream Media Gets Wrong When Covering Favelas

By Thainã de Medeiros • Translation by Rachel Fox • February 3, 2016

Clique aqui para Português The original text was published in Portuguese by community reporter and activist Thainã de Medeiros* on his Facebook page and republished on Favela 247. Thainã is an organizer of the Coletivo Papo Reto media collective […]

Raull Santiago
#CommunityMedia

What’s Your Narrative? Alemão’s Raull Santiago on the Future of Media

By Raull Santiago • Translation by Carolyn Oliveira • December 9, 2015

Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Raull Santiago* in Portuguese published by Coletivo Papo Reto click here. We live in a society where the spectacle of pain is something that can be commercialized, so […]

*Highlight

The Language of the Favela Part 2: Dialect & Stigma

By Gitanjali Patel • September 29, 2015

This is the second of a three-part series on the language spoken in the peripheries of Rio de Janeiro. Don’t miss Part 1 and Part 2. In Rio de Janeiro, dominant representations in the media and […]

#CommunityMedia

School of Popular Communication Launches Class on Affirmative Publicity

By Gabriela Weldon • July 25, 2015

Clique aqui para Português On July 14, the Popular School for Critical Communication (ESPOCC) launched its 2015-2016 class on Affirmative Publicity at Observatório de Favelas (Favelas Observatory) in Complexo da Maré, in Rio’s North Zone. Each year, after a […]

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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
    • Highlighted Stories
    • Understanding Rio
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  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
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  • 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
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