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Latest News
  • [ January 13, 2026 ] 10 Years Since the Rio Olympics: Vila Autódromo Continues to Resist Gentrification Pressures Amidst New ‘Olympic Barra’ Neighborhood #EvictionsWatch
  • [ January 8, 2026 ] COP30 Civil Society Rundown: Thousands of Communities and Social Movements, Representing Favelas, Indigenous, Quilombola and Other Marginalized Groups Fill Belém During COP30 [IMAGES] *Highlight
  • [ December 31, 2025 ] ‘What We Want Aren’t Bodies on the Ground… It’s Recognition of [Our] People Creating Solutions’: Penha Favelas Hold Composters and Integrated Health Events Highlighting Local Climate Memories *Highlight
  • [ December 26, 2025 ] 2025 Retrospective of Top International Reporting on Rio’s Favelas #MediaWatch
  • [ December 24, 2025 ] ‘No One in Terra Firme Will Sleep Hungry Today!’ Amid Adversity, Belém Favela Initiatives Distribute 2,200 Meals During COP30 With Support from the People’s Summit Solidarity Kitchen *Highlight
HomeSérgio Besserman Vianna

Sérgio Besserman Vianna

#MarielleLegacy

Marielle Franco and Sérgio Besserman: Two Sides of the Favela Evictions and Environment Debate

By Lucas Smolcic Larson • June 20, 2018

Clique aqui para Português “The favela is not the problem. The favela is the city. The favela is the solution.” These were Rio City Councilwoman Marielle Franco’s opening remarks as she appeared on an episode of […]

#EvictionsWatch

Museums of Counternarratives and Resistance, Part 4: Horto Florestal #MuseumWeek2018

By Gitanjali Patel • May 17, 2018

Clique aqui para Português This is the fourth article in a five-part series on community museums and resistance in Rio’s favelas in honor of Brazil’s 16th Annual Museum Week (May 16-20, 2018). “The aim is to uncover and exhibit […]

#EvictionsWatch

Horto Will Protest Against Eviction ‘However Many Times is Necessary’

By Hari Pannum • March 14, 2018

Clique aqui para Português Just one week after a productive protest outside the mayor’s office in Botafogo, on March 9 residents of the Horto community took to the streets again to protest ongoing threats of eviction […]

Seu Zeca holds his grandfather's whistle, who was one of the old guards of the Botanical Gardens.
#EvictionsWatch

The Guardians of Tijuca Forest: The Residents of Horto Florestal [IMAGES]

By Sophia Zaia • Translation by Cheyne Bull • January 2, 2018

Clique aqui para Português The Botanical Gardens in Rio de Janeiro has threatened to remove the community of Horto, the same community that has been taking care of the “most conserved area” of the Tijuca Forest […]

#EvictionsWatch

Granddaughter of Horto’s ‘Folha Seca’ Calls Botanical Gardens’ Tribute a ‘Joke’

By Sophia Zaia • Translation by Rachel Fox • September 21, 2017

Clique aqui para Português Orlando “Folha Seca” (Dry Leaf) Pereira da Silva, the first gardener to be formally employed by Rio de Janeiro’s Botanical Gardens, died on June 1 at the age of one hundred. […]

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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
    • Understanding Rio
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  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
    • North Zone
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    • Greater Rio
  • Policies
    • Public Security
    • Housing
    • 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
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
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