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HomeRio de Janeiro Carnival

Rio de Janeiro Carnival

#MarielleLegacy

‘Bless Yourself, It’ll Work Out’ Carnival Parade Through Maré Favelas Reaffirms Rights [IMAGES]

By Gabriel Loiola • Translation by Edmund Ruge • March 4, 2020

Clique aqui para Português On February 29, the carnival bloco “Bless Yourself, It’ll All Work Out” paraded through the streets of Complexo da Maré, in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone. The cloudy day did not […]

*Highlight

From Rolês to Blocos: Touring Carnival in Rio’s First Favela

By Colin Andrew • February 21, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of RioOnWatch’s 2020 reporting partnership with The Rio Times focused on favela tourism. For the article as published in The Rio Times click here. With almost two million tourists […]

*Highlight

15th Annual ‘Circulando’ Event in Alemão Favela Unites Local Leaders, Youth, Children [IMAGES]

By Edmund Ruge, Hector Santos • December 3, 2019

Clique aqui para Português The sun shone down on the hills of Complexo do Alemão, on Saturday, November 30, putting an end to a week of rain for the group of favelas in the North […]

Favela Culture

Meet the Heroes Featured in Mangueira’s Samba Parade at Rio’s 2019 Carnaval [VIDEO]

By Alba Valéria Mendonça • Translation by Cheyne Bull • March 15, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Alba Valéria Mendonça published in G1, click here. In the context of contemporary Brazil where President Bolsonaro has acted to reduce references to Afro- […]

*Highlight

‘Badalados and Badaladas’: City of God’s Famous ‘Bate-Bola’ Carnival Clowns [IMAGES]

By Jota Marques • Translation by Sharonya Vadakattu • March 3, 2019

Clique aqui para Português  Horror or revelry? There is a bit of both in the history of the emergence of carnival clowns known as bate-bolas (“ball-hitters”). At once scary and performative, historians date their origins to the […]

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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

  • Home
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  • Content Map
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