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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
HomeWritersJuliana Portella

Writer: Juliana Portella

*Highlight

Turning Affection Into Film: The Legacy of Cadu Barcellos, a Maré Native Who Brought Dignity to the Favela in Brazilian Film

By Juliana Portella • Translation by Marina Devine Guzmán • August 25, 2025

Clique aqui para Português In the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, in the group of favelas that make up Complexo da Maré—more precisely, in the Pinheiro favela, Block 7, apartment 502: that’s where Cadu […]

*Highlight

2024 Victories for Afro-Diasporic Culture: Passinho Recognized as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ in Rio as Breakdancing Debuted in Paris

By Juliana Portella • Translation by Kincaid Cummings • November 8, 2024

Clique aqui para Português This Brazilian Black Awareness Month, RioOnWatch celebrates two recent milestones for Afro-diasporic culture: the debut of breakdancing in the Olympics and the enactment of Rio de Janeiro State Law 10.289/2024, which […]

by Community Contributors

Street Cinema Club in Maré Exhibits Films ‘For the English to See’

By Juliana Portella • Translation by Sharonya Vadakattu • September 25, 2017

Clique aqui para Português Last Saturday, September 16, a Session of Short Films “For the English to See” took place in Vila do Pinheiro, in Complexo da Maré in the North Zone. During the event—named after […]

#Rio2016

City of God and Rafaela Silva’s Victory: Give Us More Gold and Less Lead

By Juliana Portella • Translation by Lucy McMahon • August 10, 2016

Clique aqui para Português Brazil’s first Olympic gold medal was won by Rafaela Silva, a judo player from City of God. Despite all the obstacles associated with being a black woman from a favela, she […]

#UPPWatch

“The War Against Drugs is a Convenient Excuse.” Violence Scares City of God Residents

By Juliana Portella • Translation by Wendy Turner • June 29, 2016

Clique aqui para Português Residents report how they are forced to hide from gunfire and how the UPP is far from being a project of peace. Since the beginning of June, frightened residents of City of […]

Posts pagination

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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
  • For Journos
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