Latest News

With the aim of addressing racism from the inside out, with a focus on favela voices, and community journalism as the means to provoke the urgent dialogue we need, RioOnWatch launched the series “Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro.”

 

Our goal is to lay out the debate about racism and race in Rio de Janeiro, in order to offer a detailed, multidimensional and intersectional view of how structural racism works in the city, from the personal to the systemic and analytical, with the goal of transforming society. What is not named is not recognized and thus not combated. Racism in Brazil is in the structures of society, including in silence and in euphemisms in news coverage about social inequality.

 

Over the course of 2021, RioOnWatch published weekly illustrated articles, videos, and podcasts, by grassroots communicators, Afro-Brazilians and favela residents, focusing on memory, present day, and future—which relate to the Akan concept of Sankofa: San (to return), Ko (to go), Fa (to seek, to get). These publications reached 80,000 people each month across Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and 220 countries worldwide.

Introducing the Anti-Racism Series

Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism

‘Eshu Throws a Stone Today and Kills a Bird of Yesterday’: Is an Anti-Racist World Possible?

Video Brings Voices from the Year-Long Series 'Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas'

Reference Articles

Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism

The Essence of the Favela is Resistance

Original artwork by David Amen

Racism in the Favela: How Residents Understand Racial Prejudice

‘What Favela Did You Build in Your Minds?’ Black Filmmakers Discuss ‘City of God’

Religious Racism in Brazil: We Have to Talk About It!

‘Eshu Throws a Stone Today and Kills a Bird of Yesterday’: Is an Anti-Racist World Possible?

The Key to the Cage: Funk as the Liberating Art of Favela Bodies

The Toxicity of Racial Banter as an Expression of Deep-Rooted, Normalized, Everyday Racism in Brazil

We Need to Talk About Whiteness, Structural Mechanism of Privilege

A Deeply Personal In-Depth Account of the Typical Racism of Domestic Work in Brazil

Every Train on the SuperVia is a Bit of a Slave Ship

School Flight In Relation to Race and the Pandemic in Rio de Janeiro

A Colonial Amefrican Wound: DNA Tests Provide Clues of Black and Indigenous Ancestry in Brazil

Video Brings Voices from the Year-Long Series 'Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas'

Our Roots: History and Memory

Structural Racism in the Eyes of the Favela: Maré Residents Speak Out

From Building Quilombos to Democracy: Voices of Afro-Latin and Caribbean Women

Original artwork by Lorena Portela

Between the Political Right and Left, I Choose the Quilombo!

Pedra Branca and the Energy Dilemmas of Rio’s Urbanization: From Charcoal to Electricity

Horto Article. Original Art by Natalia S. Flores

The Horto Community and the Fight for an Ancestral Territory in the Context of Environmental Racism

The Ancestral Knowledge of Black Women and the Healing Power of Plants Grown by the Salgueiro Favela’s Herb Growers

‘Pavuna’s Little Market’: A Rio de Janeiro Black Cultural Heritage Hotspot

The Emotional Health of Black Children and the Importance of Emotions

Original art by Raquel Batista

Science Education and Black Identity in Brazil: Where are the Black Women in STEM?

Original art by Jonas Ariel

The Path of Black Professors in Brazilian Higher Education

Slam Video: Putrid Nation

The Marginalization of Non-White Refugees in Brazil

Facts and Impacts of Racism

3 Years Since Her Killing, the Legacy of Marielle Franco is Black Women on the Frontline of Change

MC Martina’s Slam Poem: ‘The Virus that Stopped the Nation’

The Art of Reinvention: Black Artists and Cultural Producers from Rio Favelas Adapt During the Pandemic

Black July: Against Racism, Militarization, and Apartheid

Just One More Step on My Journey: Youth Talk About the Favela During the Pandemic

Women in the front line: original art by Anna Paula Rodrigues

Women on the Front Line in the Fight for Demilitarization in Brazil and Beyond

Sixth Annual Black July: ADPF das Favelas original art

Sixth Annual Black July Discusses the ‘ADPF of the Favelas,’ Its Political Impact and Social Struggles

Original artwork by David Amen

In Rio’s Favelas, the Fight Against Police Brutality Begins in the Womb

If the Favela is Suspect, is the State Guilty? Viradouro Fights Against the Abuse of Power

Tiago Marques, the color of crime original artowork by Yara Santos

In Brazil, Crime Has a Color: Rio Police Arrest Tiago de Oliveira Without Proof

‘Color of Mobility’ Project Addresses the Impacts of Racism on How Black Brazilians Transit Through Cities

‘Color of Mobility’ Project Discusses How Low Quality Transit Keeps Peripheral Communities Away from Services and Opportunities

‘Color of Mobility’ Project Addresses Cycling as a Form of Resistance: How Does Racism Affect Mobility by Bike?

Victorious Black presence: original artwork by Raquel Batista

The Victorious Presence of Black Brazilian Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics

Building a New Tomorrow

Brazil’s Organized Black Movement Today: Voices from the Black Coalition for Rights

The Significant Political Advocacy of Brazil’s Black Coalition for Rights

Black Women on the Move: Historic Coalition Forms Around Ancestry and Democracy Across Brazil

Looking at the Past Is Ancestral Technology: How Does Memory Strengthen the Future of Black Women?

Novos Futuros, Outros Passados: Coeducação Racial e Intergeracional Entre os de Casa

In Brazil, Law Requiring African History in Schools Turns 18—How Has it Been Implemented?

original artwork for Morro do Palácio article. By Raquel Batista

The Favela as My Classroom: Black Representation in Education

Realizing Anti-Racist Education in Favelas: Affirmative Action through College Prep

I Want To Read Black Authors: When Will We See Proper Representation in Brazilian Schools and Universities?

Black Children’s Literature Empowers Youth in Rio’s Alemão Favela: Author Wins Prize

Blackk Doll: Representation Through Toys Empowers Black Children

Guided by the Desire for Transformation: Favela Youth Uses Music as Instrument for Social Change

Perspectives on Theater from Young Black Favela Actors: Body and Voice in the Fight for Rights

The Power of Performing Arts in Brazil’s Racial Resistance: Grupo Código’s Realistic and Fictional Theater in Greater Rio de Janeiro

D’Versos Videocast: Street Art, an Anti-Racist Culture

Meet the Artists

Born and raised in Complexo do Alemão, David Amen is co-founder and communications producer of the Roots in Movement Institute, a journalist, graffiti artist, and illustrator.
Born and raised in Complexo do Alemão, David Amen is co-founder and communications producer of the Roots in Movement Institute, a journalist, graffiti artist, and illustrator.
An undergraduate at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s (UFRJ) School of Fine Arts, Raquel Batista, 19, was born and raised in Campo Grande and currently lives in Engenho de Dentro, in Rio’s North Zone. A visual artist who works as a photographer and illustrator, her goal is to use art to represent people who, like her, a young black woman from the periphery, are not always seen.
Born and raised in Complexo do Alemão, David Amen is co-founder and communications producer of the Roots in Movement Institute, a journalist, graffiti artist, and illustrator.
Natalia de Souza Flores, born and raised in Rio’s North Zone, is a member of the Brabas Crew. With a degree in Graphic Design from Unigranrio in 2017, she has worked as a designer since 2015. She launched a magazine of collective comics called ‘Tá no Gibi’ in 2017 at the Rio Book Biennial. Her main themes are based in African culture, using cyberpunk, wicca and indigenous elements.
Natalia de Souza Flores, born and raised in Rio’s North Zone, is a member of the Brabas Crew. With a degree in Graphic Design from Unigranrio in 2017, she has worked as a designer since 2015. She launched a magazine of collective comics called ‘Tá no Gibi’ in 2017 at the Rio Book Biennial. Her main themes are based in African culture, using cyberpunk, wicca and indigenous elements.
Born and raised in Complexo do Alemão, David Amen is co-founder and communications producer of the Roots in Movement Institute, a journalist, graffiti artist, and illustrator.
Anna Paula Rodrigues is a freelance designer and illustrator, with a degree in industrial design from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Anna Paula—who focuses on anti-racist topics relating to aesthetics and beauty—works as a graphic designer in numerous Rio de Janeiro NGOs.
Anna Paula Rodrigues is a freelance designer and illustrator, with a degree in industrial design from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Anna Paula—who focuses on anti-racist topics relating to aesthetics and beauty—works as a graphic designer in numerous Rio de Janeiro NGOs.
Born and raised in Complexo do Alemão, David Amen is co-founder and communications producer of the Roots in Movement Institute, a journalist, graffiti artist, and illustrator.
Born and raised in Complexo do Alemão, David Amen is co-founder and communications producer of the Roots in Movement Institute, a journalist, graffiti artist, and illustrator.
Born and raised in Complexo do Alemão, David Amen is co-founder and communications producer of the Roots in Movement Institute, a journalist, graffiti artist, and illustrator.
Jônatas Ariel is an illustrator and digital designer. Jônatas lives in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
Born and raised in Complexo do Alemão, David Amen is co-founder and communications producer of the Roots in Movement Institute, a journalist, graffiti artist, and illustrator.
Natalia de Souza Flores, born and raised in Rio’s North Zone, is a member of the Brabas Crew. With a degree in Graphic Design from Unigranrio in 2017, she has worked as a designer since 2015. She launched a magazine of collective comics called ‘Tá no Gibi’ in 2017 at the Rio Book Biennial. Her main themes are based in African culture, using cyberpunk, wicca and indigenous elements.
An undergraduate at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s (UFRJ) School of Fine Arts, Raquel Batista, 19, was born and raised in Campo Grande and currently lives in Engenho de Dentro, in Rio’s North Zone. A visual artist who works as a photographer and illustrator, her goal is to use art to represent people who, like her, a young black woman from the periphery, are not always seen.
An undergraduate at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s (UFRJ) School of Fine Arts, Raquel Batista, 19, was born and raised in Campo Grande and currently lives in Engenho de Dentro, in Rio’s North Zone. A visual artist who works as a photographer and illustrator, her goal is to use art to represent people who, like her, a young black woman from the periphery, are not always seen.
An undergraduate at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s (UFRJ) School of Fine Arts, Raquel Batista, 19, was born and raised in Campo Grande and currently lives in Engenho de Dentro, in Rio’s North Zone. A visual artist who works as a photographer and illustrator, her goal is to use art to represent people who, like her, a young black woman from the periphery, are not always seen.
An undergraduate at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s (UFRJ) School of Fine Arts, Raquel Batista, 19, was born and raised in Campo Grande and currently lives in Engenho de Dentro, in Rio’s North Zone. A visual artist who works as a photographer and illustrator, her goal is to use art to represent people who, like her, a young black woman from the periphery, are not always seen.
An undergraduate at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s (UFRJ) School of Fine Arts, Raquel Batista, 19, was born and raised in Campo Grande and currently lives in Engenho de Dentro, in Rio’s North Zone. A visual artist who works as a photographer and illustrator, her goal is to use art to represent people who, like her, a young black woman from the periphery, are not always seen.
Illustrator Yara Santos is a student of generalist design at the University of São Paulo (USP). Born and raised in the periphery of São Paulo, she seeks to represent elements of the black and peripheral culture in which she is inserted in her art. Most of her production is centered on digital techniques.
Illustrator Yara Santos is a student of generalist design at the University of São Paulo (USP). Born and raised in the periphery of São Paulo, she seeks to represent elements of the black and peripheral culture in which she is inserted in her art. Most of her production is centered on digital techniques.

© 2024 Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike