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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
Home#StopFavelaStigma

#StopFavelaStigma

*Highlight

Rio’s Urban Peripheries Literary Festival Comes to Maré and Pays Homage to Marielle Franco, Lima Barreto and Pai Santana

By Juliana Pinho • Translation by Felicity Clarke • January 25, 2023

Clique aqui para Português The Urban Peripheries Literary Festival, commonly known as FLUP, is an international literary event held in the favelas and peripheries of Rio de Janeiro—areas traditionally excluded from literary fair circuits and […]

#ParticipationWatch

Lula Elected President of Brazil in Historic Win Including Critical Rio de Janeiro Favelas

By Tatiana Lima • Translation by Clau Guimarães • November 4, 2022

Clique aqui para Português In Rio de Janeiro, Lula beat Bolsonaro in the electoral zones that include the favelas of Complexo do Alemão, Penha, and Maré, as well as City of God, Rio das Pedras […]

Photomontage created by Carta Capital magazine shows Lula wearing the CPX cap on the left and Bolsonaro on the right
*Highlight

The Criminalization of Favelas: Origins of Electoral Fake News About the CPX Acronym and Consequences of its Dissemination

By Tatiana Lima • Translation by Clau Guimarães, Isaac Goodwin • October 29, 2022

Clique aqui para Português The three-letter abbreviation for the favelas of Complexo do Alemão, “CPX,” was used by Brazil’s far-right to produce fake news that associated Lula and favela residents with organized crime. With less […]

*Highlight

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

By Douglas Dobby, Victória Henrique • Translation by Clau Guimarães • February 24, 2022

 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.” This mini-doc tells […]

#HousingWatch

Favelas Have Doubled in 36 Years: What Does That Say About Brazil?

By RioOnWatch Editorial • December 22, 2021

Clique aqui para Português Recently, a number of articles have circulated in the Brazilian media reporting, with a mixture of wonder and reproach, the doubling in scale of the nation’s favelas over the past 36 […]

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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
    • Understanding Rio
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  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
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  • Policies
    • Public Security
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    • 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
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    • Listicles
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    • Translated Articles
  • About
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