{"id":20734,"date":"2015-03-08T18:26:11","date_gmt":"2015-03-08T21:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=20734"},"modified":"2016-04-05T11:02:27","modified_gmt":"2016-04-05T14:02:27","slug":"paying-homage-to-favela-women-on-international-womens-day-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=20734","title":{"rendered":"Paying Homage to Favela Women on International Women’s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas\"\"<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

According to research published in\u00a0A Country Called Favela<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>by Renato\u00a0Meirelles and Celso Athayde, favelas across Brazil house around six million women. Around 40% of homes in favelas are supported financially by women, who are responsible for earning USD$8.2 billion (R$24 billion) of the resources\u00a0entering these communities<\/a>. Most women who live in favelas are Afro-descendant, married and have kids. The study also reveals that 66% of favela women do not want to move away from their community.<\/p>\n

In honor of International Women’s Day and the six million women<\/a> who live in favelas across the country, RioOnWatch<\/em> has compiled stories of\u00a0female community leaders whose important work on behalf of their communities we have featured in the past.<\/p>\n

C\u00edntia Luna – Fogueteiro, Santa Teresa, Central Rio<\/h3>\n

\"cintia\"<\/a>
\nC\u00edntia Luna\u00a0is president of Fogueteiro’s United of Santa Teresa Neighborhood\u00a0Association (AMUST) and has led\u00a0the development of the association over the past eight years. A long term resident of Fogueteiro<\/a>, one of the favelas in Santa Teresa in central\u00a0Rio de Janeiro, C\u00edntia grew up in the community and remembers her childhood when development began in the area. She goes beyond her duties to help her community: most recently, she welcomed a sewing class into her home after the project EcoModa was evicted<\/a> from its\u00a0adapted classroom in Quadra do Fogueteiro. She is also a big part of conflict resolution in her community<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I like to help when it is necessary, maybe that\u2019s it,” she said in her\u00a0interview<\/a> with RioOnWatch. “<\/em>It\u2019s difficult because at times we don\u2019t have any financial motivation, but I\u2019ve got the impetus to help people.”<\/p>\n

Neuza Nascimento\u00a0– Parque Jardim Beira Mar, Parada de Lucas, North Zone<\/h3>\n

\"Neuza-Nascimento\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Known for years of drug wars with neighboring Vig\u00e1rio Geral, Parada de Lucas had no alternative activities for its children until Neuza\u00a0Nascimento<\/a>, a mother and book-lover, at the time working as a housecleaner, decided to take her son and some friends on a field trip one weekend to tease them away from the baile funk<\/a><\/em>. That small act sparked Neuza on a\u00a0new path\u2014one of guaranteeing that children in her community\u00a0would have a different relationship with the world than that which was \u201cwritten for them.\u201d She set off to found the\u00a0Integrated Center in Support of Community Children and Teens (CIACAC<\/a>).<\/p>\n

“[These last ten years I have learned] that\u00a0wishing and thinking are not enough,” she told RioOnWatch<\/em> in an interview<\/a>.\u00a0“It is necessary to take action.”<\/p>\n

Iara Oliveira – City of God, West Zone<\/h3>\n

\"Iara<\/a>
\nCidade de Deus, Rio\u2019s most well-known West Zone favela, was made (in)famous thanks to the book and international blockbuster by the same name,\u00a0City of God<\/a>. The community today is occupied by a Pacifying Policy Unit (UPP)<\/a>. Iara Oliveira is a teacher and political activist. She\u00a0is the coordinator of Alfazendo<\/a>, a community-based organization\u00a0that\u00a0focuses on literacy for community residents of all ages. The NGO also serves as an advocacy organization and provides general educational opportunities and enrichment for the community. Mostly self-educated, Iara has built her career as a teacher and political activist for over 30 years and has seen Rio de Janeiro and the community evolve dramatically. She is undeniably passionate about her community, and dedicated to improving the lives of the people who live there.<\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t believe in success, I think success is only a word,” she said, when asked in an interview<\/a>\u00a0what her greatest\u00a0success is. “I believe in collective work. I\u2019m not a person who is in this world to try to be a success; I am here to leave something for people. I am very\u2026collaborative. Everything with me is collaborative, so I\u2019m not searching for success exactly, I\u2019m looking for a better life for me, for the people in my life, and for the people who are from where I am from. So, my greatest success, I think, is not to need or want to have success.”<\/p>\n

Regina Tchelly – Babil\u00f4nia, South Zone<\/h3>\n

\"Regina<\/a><\/p>\n

In the Babil\u00f4nia Residents’ Association building in the pacified community overlooking Leme,\u00a0Regina Tchelly<\/a> and her team serve up a range of gourmet dishes made with ingredients commonly regarded as trash. The full vegetarian feijoada with watercress root farofa<\/em>, watermelon peel risotto and pumpkin peel dessert may sound like unreasonably experimental cooking, but in fact combine for delicious, satisfying dishes that maximize the nutritious and economical value of the ingredients.\u00a0Tchelly founded Favela Org\u00e2nica with USD$50 (R$140)\u00a0out of her home in Babilonia.<\/p>\n

She said<\/a>: \u201cThe idea is that people with low incomes and high incomes alike learn how to use all the food they bring to their homes and produce delicious meals like we\u2019re serving today. It\u2019s low cost, healthier and more economical in the home.\u201d Regina’s work is featured in the film\u00a0Favela as a Sustainable Model<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mothers, sisters and wives of young victims of police violence across Rio’s favelas<\/h3>\n

\"AnaWith a rising number of teenage homicides in Brazil<\/a> and a worrying human rights crisis recently reported by Amnesty International<\/a>, it is no wonder that mothers, sisters and wives\u00a0of victims of police violence in favelas have started mobilizing against the militarization of the police<\/a> and asking for justice for those who are\u00a0killed by authorities. The\u00a0murder of 26-year-old dancer DG<\/a> in Pav\u00e3o-Pav\u00e3ozinho<\/a>,\u00a0the\u00a0assassination of\u00a0Jonatha de Oliveira Silva, 19<\/a>\u00a0in Manguinhos<\/a>,\u00a0the disappearance of\u00a0Amarildo<\/a>\u00a0in Rocinha<\/a>\u00a0and many other violations have led women like Jonatha’s mother\u00a0Ana Paula Oliveira into activism.<\/p>\n

In a protest last September, Ana Paula said<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cI am here today to ask for justice because my biggest desire is that this violence end. We see this all the time, young people dying in the community, with no right to come and go in the place where they were born and raised. People don\u2019t have freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane\u00a0Nascimento – Vila Aut\u00f3dromo, West Zone<\/h3>\n

\"100_2688\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jane has been resisting eviction in Vila Aut\u00f3dromo<\/a> since 1992 and continues to be a constant in a community that is being threatened with removal because of the Olympics. Although the building of the\u00a0Media Center and the Olympic Training Center has been moved to the Port Zone<\/a>,\u00a0the City has found new reasons to force Vila Aut\u00f3dromo out. Jane, however, sees through these excuses.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow they have created a [new argument, that a] \u2018security perimeter\u2019 [is needed] around the racetrack, which the residents will be unable to cross during the games,\u201d she told<\/a>\u00a0RioOnWatch<\/em> in 2011.\u00a0<\/em>\u201cThere has never been an assault on race days at the track. (…) They want to confuse people, have them think that the issue has already been resolved, and stop complaining. I\u2019m not going to rest, I\u2019ll continue until I die.\u201d<\/p>\n

B\u00e1rbara Nascimento – Vidigal, South Zone<\/h3>\n

\"BarbaraB\u00e1rbara Nascimento was born and raised in Vidigal<\/a>. She is a Portuguese and literature teacher in a public state school and is gathering information about her community so as to preserve it. In her view,\u00a0the occupation of Vidigal by the middle class and foreigners will create an exodus and destroy the identity of the favela. As an activist and scholar, she is fighting for the preservation of favela culture and speaking out against cultural appropriation and gentrification.<\/p>\n

“When a person\u00a0knows his\u00a0place\u00a0he (or she)\u00a0recognizes himself\u00a0as an individual,” she said in an interview with O Globo<\/em>, which can be read in English\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0“Here, a population that is already marginalized runs the\u00a0risk of losing its\u00a0sense of belonging: our\u00a0home\u00a0is\u00a0being denied us. (Documenting) memory can teach us\u00a0that there is a history, an identity<\/a>, and that we need to stay and fight against gentrification<\/a>. And that this might inspire other people.”<\/p>\n

Giordana Moreira – Nova Igua\u00e7u, Baixada Fluminense<\/h3>\n

\"Giordana\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Giordana Moreira became interested in graffiti after she covered\u00a0Brazil\u2019s first National Meeting of Women Graffiti Artists in 2005. She realized that being a female graffiti artist was a radical action since the field is mainly made up of male artists. Joining forces with the\u00a0NGO ComCausa<\/a>, the group\u00a0Women Graffiti Artists for the Maria da Penha Law–in honor of the Brazilian law that combats domestic violence–was born to fight sexism and promote debate on gender issues.\u00a0Giordana is also a founding member of Roque Pense<\/a>, a group sponsoring workshops, fanzine, radio, and rock music initiatives born out of a partnership between Artefeito and Let\u2019s Pense!<\/a>, a poetry fanzine. \u201cPense\u201d, literally \u201cThink\u201d is Artefeito\u2019s abbreviation for \u201cPara uma educa\u00e7\u00e3o n\u00e3o sexista,\u201d or \u201cfor a non-sexist education.\u201d She constantly challenges male protagonism in traditionally male fields, and this year for International Women’s Day her group Roque Pense has organized a female-only band rock festival in Duque de Caxias<\/a>\u00a0that will also feature debates about violence against women and workshops.<\/p>\n

To Giordana, the participation of women in social movements is essential. She said<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cWithout women\u2019s participation, this humanity, solidarity and organization are lost. It\u2019s wrong to make women responsible for the psychological well being of families, but this makes women develop this skill, much more so than men.\u201d Check out a RioOnWatch<\/em> video featuring\u00a0Giordana<\/a> in 2012.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas According to research published in\u00a0A Country Called Favela\u00a0by Renato\u00a0Meirelles and Celso Athayde, favelas across Brazil house around six million women. Around 40% of homes in favelas are supported financially by women, […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1288,1290,1268,1271,1284,329],"tags":[460,1261,231,436,197,117,37,122,251,250,155,12,156,363,4,21],"writer":[1356],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20734","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-highlight","8":"category-civilsociety","9":"category-favelaculture","10":"category-favelaqualities","11":"category-interviews-profiles","12":"category-solutions","13":"tag-baixada-fluminense","14":"tag-central-rio","15":"tag-city-of-god","16":"tag-gender","17":"tag-morro-da-babilonia","18":"tag-morro-do-fogueteiro","19":"tag-north-zone","20":"tag-nova-iguacu","21":"tag-parada-de-lucas","22":"tag-parque-jardim-beira-mar","23":"tag-pavao-pavaozinho","24":"tag-rocinha","25":"tag-south-zone","26":"tag-vidigal","27":"tag-vila-autodromo","28":"tag-west-zone","29":"writer-nicole-froio"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20734"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=20734"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=20734"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=20734"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=20734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}