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  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Portrait of a Centenary-Old Favela of Stilt Houses: Belém’s Vila da Barca Resists, Organizes and Fights for Sanitation and Adequate Housing #HousingWatch
  • [ November 30, 2025 ] The Story of Dona Pascoalina, Midwife and Healer of Morro do Borel by Community Contributors
  • [ November 15, 2025 ] ‘There’s No Such Thing as Normal After a Massacre’: One Week After Police Mega-Operation Kills 121 People, Residents From Complexos do Alemão and Penha Speak Out #UPPWatch
  • [ November 13, 2025 ] ‘Human Beings Forget That They Are Nature’: Favelas Teach the Path to the Future at the 2nd Favela Sustainability Festival Civil Society
  • [ November 12, 2025 ] Food Sovereignty and Culinary Heritage Connect with Fight for Climate Justice at the 2nd Sustainable Favela Festival Civil Society
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*Highlight

A Rocinha Painter Promotes Black Empowerment in the ‘Church of Art’

By Julia Spence • March 9, 2018

Clique aqui para Português Maxwell Alexandre is a 27-year-old painter born and raised in Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro’s biggest favela. His solo exhibition—titled ‘Pardo é Papel’ (‘Brown is Paper’) due to both the surface color […]

#ParticipationWatch

Countdown to Brazil’s 2018 Elections, Part 2: Alternative Movements and Candidates

By Luisa Fenizola • Translation by Clara Lyra • March 1, 2018

Clique aqui para Português This is the second article in an ongoing series on the Brazilian electoral political scene in 2018. In a country in which half the population are women and over half are […]

#MonitoringCrivella

As Carnival Begins in Rio, Evidence Mounts of Mayor Crivella’s War on Afro-Brazilian Popular Culture

By Rachel Louise Brabbins • February 10, 2018

Clique aqui para Português An explosion of color. Glitter, sequins, feathers, infectious music and of course samba dancing cue the start of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival 2018. But this year it’s Carnival with a difference—a […]

*Highlight

Anitta’s Global Hit ‘Vai Malandra’ Music Video In Context: Favela Funk and Passinho

By Lucy McMahon • January 17, 2018

Clique aqui para Português The December sun beats down on a vividly painted school playground, where several teenagers are going through the fast steps of a passinho phrase. They pause to teach each other, to […]

Interviews & Profiles

Tati Brandão and SUNY’s ‘Black Brazilian Women: Presence and Power’ Exhibition [INTERVIEW]

By Sarah Cronin • Translation by Desirée Poets • November 30, 2017

Clique aqui para Português A powerful new exhibit is launching in New York this December: Black Brazilian Women: Presence and Power. Organized by a SUNY-New Paltz master’s student, Sandra Coleman, the exhibit tells stories of 49 black Brazilian […]

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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
    • 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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