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Latest News
  • [ 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
HomeDrug Traffic

Drug Traffic

*Highlight

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

By Cleyton Santanna • Translation by Gianna Giordani, Malena Galuccio • March 10, 2021

 Clique aqui para Português This English subtitled mini-documentary is the latest contribution to our year-long reporting project, “Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro.” The starting point for ‘What […]

Original artwork by David Amen
*Highlight

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

By Artur Vinicius Amaro • Translation by Mikayla Ribeiro • March 5, 2021

Clique aqui para Português This article is the latest contribution to our year-long reporting project, “Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro.” Follow our Rooting Anti-Racism in the […]

*Highlight

Veiled Racism in the Criminalization of Carioca Funk, Part 1: ‘Let the Favela Win, Shine!’

By Ingra Maciel • Translation by Constance Malleret • February 26, 2021

Clique aqui para Português This is the first of two articles on the criminalization of funk music and oppression of black favela culture. Read part 2 here. The Judiciary and the Criminalization of Funkeiros “Let […]

Church of Our Lady of Penha_ the beginning of a Quilombo that, later, would become Vila Cruzeiro. Photo by VejaRio.
*Highlight

Vila Cruzeiro’s Legacy for Black Culture

By William Reis • Translation by Ikrom Alajoulin • November 19, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This article is published as part of Brazilian Black Awareness Month, celebrated every November around Black Consciousness Day on November 20. For the original article by William Reis, executive coordinator of […]

Complexo do Viradouro Favelas Women Mobilize to Face the Military Police Occupation
#CoronavirusWatch

Public Works and a Foot in the Door: Police Occupation is ‘New Normal’ in Complexo do Viradouro

By Tatiana Lima • Translation by Natalia Galicza • September 18, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This is our latest article on the Covid-19 and its impacts on the favelas. Residents of the Complexo do Viradouro favelas of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro’s sister city across the Guanabara Bay, […]

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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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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
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  • Policies
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    • 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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    • Research & Analysis
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  • About
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