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Latest News
  • [ October 29, 2026 ] Favela Leaders Confronting the Climate Crisis In Diverse, Creative Ways Is Top Takeaway From Latest ‘Sustainable Favela Festival’ *Highlight
  • [ October 23, 2026 ] ‘We Are at Risk of Losing Everything We Hold Most Precious:’ What’s at Stake When Brazilians Head to the Polls This Sunday [OPINION] #CoronavirusWatch
  • [ October 22, 2026 ] What Do Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro Policy Platforms Intend For Favelas? #UPPWatch
  • [ October 21, 2026 ] Grassroots Movements Across the State of Rio Held 300 Pro-Democracy Rallies This Month, Show #VoicesFromSocialMedia #ParticipationWatch
  • [ October 20, 2026 ] Polling Location Changes in Favelas That Typically Support Lula Led to Significant Abstentions in Brazil’s First Round Voting, Raising Profound Ethical Questions #ParticipationWatch
HomeWritersAlexandre Cerqueira

Writer: Alexandre Cerqueira

Alexandre Cerqueira has a degree in International Relations and is a primary school teacher, writer, and photographer.

#LegacyWatch

10 Years After Rio’s Most Notorious Pre-Olympic Forced Eviction, Women-Led Collective Action Preserves the Memory of Vila Autódromo

By Alexandre Cerqueira • Translation by Sia Kulkarni • May 13, 2026

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of our series reflecting on the impacts of mega-events on Rio de Janeiro 10 years after the 2016 Olympic Games. Ten years after the end of the […]

*Highlight

Marielle Franco’s Assassins Convicted: ‘Justice is Slow, Blind, Stupid, Unfair, Wrong, and Crooked. But It Always Comes,’ Says Judge

By Alexandre Cerqueira • Translation by Sylvia Schiller • December 2, 2024

Clique aqui para Português On October 30 and 31, after over six years of waiting, the trial of the killers of councilwoman and human rights defender Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes finally took […]

*Highlight

Memories Are Bulletproof: Three Years Without Kathlen and Her Baby

By Alexandre Cerqueira • Translation by Ujwala Murthy • July 13, 2024

Clique aqui para Português June 2024 reflected three years since the murder of Kathlen Romeu and her unborn baby in the favelas of Complexo do Lins, in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone. An event was […]

*Highlight

Favela Climate Memory Circles, Part 4: The Favela Museum in Cantagalo Makes Clear ‘We Need to Change Our Relationship With Garbage’

By Alexandre Cerqueira • Translation by Yasmin Quaife • September 28, 2023

Clique aqui para Português On June 17, 2023, Rio de Janeiro’s Sustainable Favela Network (SFN)* launched its Favela Climate Memory Exhibition, the culmination of five day-long climate memory circles held by favela community museums between […]

#ParticipationWatch

Photos Show Voting Process in Brazilian Favela of Rocinha As Residents Vote in the 2022 Presidential Runoff Election [IMAGES]

By Alexandre Cerqueira • Translation by Staff • November 11, 2022

Clique aqui para Português In the 2022 presidential runoff election—the most contested Brazilian election since re-democratization—RioOnWatch accompanied voting at the state public school CIEP 303 Ayrton Senna da Silva in the the electoral zone belonging […]

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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.

Contact & Support

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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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    • 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
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