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HomeMilitary Dictatorship (1964-1985)

Military Dictatorship (1964-1985)

Civil Society

Mutirão 50: A 1980s Model in Mutual Aid, Self-Management, Micro-Urbanism and Collective Land Ownership in Fortaleza, Northeast Brazil

By Yves Cabannes and Beatriz Terra • Translation by Fred Hanson • April 13, 2023

Clique aqui para Português This article is based on a conversation with Yves Cabannes, Professor Emeritus at University College London (UCL), advisor to the Mutirão 50 Project, which began in the late 1980s in Fortaleza, […]

Civil Society

Educational Event Celebrates the ‘Old Guard’ Who Led the Resistance Against Evictions 45 Years Ago in Vidigal [IMAGES]

By Mariana Gomes • Translation by Staff • November 22, 2022

Clique aqui para Português On October 14, 2022, youth from the Almirante Tamandaré State School got together to hear from older residents who fought against evictions in the favela of Vidigal during the military dictatorship […]

#EvictionsWatch

45 Years Ago, Mid-Dictatorship, Vidigal Resisted Evictions, Paving the Way for Resistance that Endures

By Barbara Nascimento • Translation by Carolyn Oliveira • November 20, 2022

Clique aqui para Português Over 175,000 people were evicted from favelas in the state of Rio between 1960 and 1973, a period historian Mário Brum calls the “Era of Evictions” in his thesis Cidade Alta: History, […]

#CommunityMedia

Questionable State of Brazilian Democracy Threatens Freedom of Speech, Journalist Safety and Election Coverage in the Favelas

By Tatiana Lima • Translation by Ethan Kaimana • September 9, 2022

Click here for Portuguese This article is part of a series created in partnership with the Center for Critical Studies in Language, Education, and Society (NECLES), at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), to produce articles to be […]

by Community Contributors

Rio Federal University Truth Commission Releases Documentary About Impacts of Brazil’s Military Dictatorship on Black, Favela Population

By Beatriz Carvalho • Translation by Ikrom Alajoulin • December 21, 2021

Clique aqui para Português On November 30, 2021, the Memory and Truth Commission of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (CMV/UFRJ) livestreamed the episode “The Black Population and Favela Residents Under the Dictatorship,” one […]

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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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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

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