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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
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  • [ 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
HomeAfro-Brazilian culture

Afro-Brazilian culture

Mãe Ekedi Sílvia de Mendonça, a journalist and a Black Movement activist, in front of the old house of cult of João da Gomeia, one of the most famous candomblé priests of his time. Photo by Bárbara Dias
#ParticipationWatch

Sacred Afro-Brazilian Religious Site Will Be Preserved, Following Protest by Religious Movement

By Carla Souza • Translation by Carolyn Oliveira • August 18, 2020

Clique aqui para Português On July 18, a protest against religious intolerance took place in Duque de Caxias, in Greater Rio’s Baixada Fluminense region, at the former site of the terreiro (outdoor place of worship […]

*Highlight

Do You Know the Mysteries of Serrinha? The Source of Rio’s Cultural Abundance

By Flávio Silva • Translation by Cormac Whitney Low • April 16, 2020

Clique aqui para Português My name is Flávio da Silva França Alves, better known as Mestre Flavinho. I am a batuque and jongo percussionist, member of the Império Serrano samba school, and founder of Projeto […]

*Highlight

‘The Periphery Has Potency’ Festival Unites Art and Literature in the Peripheries at the Galpão Bela Maré

By Nadine Terasa, Sofia Bazin • Translation by Edmund Ruge • January 3, 2020

Clique aqui para Português On December 17, the Galpão Bela Maré arts center held the Periferia Tem Potência (The Periphery Has Potency) festival in partnership with the Favelas Observatory, the Instituto Maria e João Aleixo, and […]

With debris cleared, minds enriched, and murals painted, the exchange came to a close. Photo by Luiza de Andrade
*Highlight

Second Sustainable Favela Network Exchange of 2019 Collective Action in Quilombo do Camorim

By Chauncie Bigler, Chloe Villalobos • August 30, 2019

Clique aqui para Português The Sustainable Favela Network (SFN) is a project of Catalytic Communities (CatComm)* designed to build and reinforce solidarity networks, bring visibility and develop joint actions to support the expansion of community-based […]

by Community Contributors

Fourth Annual Black July: Favelas Fight Racism, Part 2—Genocide and Black Women’s Strength

By Carla Souza • Translation by Edmund Ruge • August 4, 2019

Clique aqui para Português This is the second of two articles on Black July, now in its fourth annual iteration. Both articles focus on the three roundtable discussions that took place on July 25, day […]

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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.
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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
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  • Communities
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  • Policies
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    • 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
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  • About
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