{"id":25688,"date":"2015-12-03T11:23:31","date_gmt":"2015-12-03T14:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=25688"},"modified":"2015-12-07T10:30:25","modified_gmt":"2015-12-07T13:30:25","slug":"vila-autodromo-strengthens-resistance-efforts-with-2nd-cultural-occupation-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=25688","title":{"rendered":"Vila Aut\u00f3dromo Strengthens Resistance With 2nd Cultural ‘Occupation’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\u201cThe Olympics<\/a> are coming and the pressures of the City government\u00a0are violently increasing, but a determined\u00a0group of residents continues to fight for their rights. Vila Aut\u00f3dromo exists, resists, insists and re-exists!\u201d\u00a0\u2013<\/em>Vila Aut\u00f3dromo Community Facebook page<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On Saturday November 28\u00a0residents of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo<\/a> hosted\u00a0the community’s second Cultural Festival<\/a>. Announced on Facebook<\/a> as a celebration of their life,\u00a0resistance<\/a> and struggle, the\u00a0#OcupaVilaAut\u00f3dromo<\/a>\u00a0event united individuals and groups from a wide range of backgrounds, including members of nearby Camorim Quilombo<\/a>, university students and professors, musicians, researchers, organizers from other favelas, NGOs and community leaders and residents to enjoy music, dancing,\u00a0capoeira, an awards ceremony, food and beverages and film screenings. It was a very important day for the community that, \u201cbrought people from outside to celebrate and show support for us\u2026 to show our community is not abandoned,\u201d remarked resident Luiz Oliveira.<\/p>\n

\"Musical<\/p>\n

Weeks of preparation led to the festival that was held in an open air space between the rubble and remnants of the once vibrant community<\/a>. Although many houses in Vila Aut\u00f3dromo no longer stand, the community spirit remains strong and was evident\u00a0at Saturday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

Sandra R. Damias, mother of one of the 40 families that still remain from the initial 600-700, highlighted, \u201cIt is not the houses that make this community, it is us!\u201d She continued, \u201c[This event] is yet another force and another happy memory to show this community is not dead!\u201d<\/p>\n

Two bands were invited to contribute to the \u201cpositive energy\u201d of the day,\u00a0Ataque Brasil<\/a> and Marofas Grass Band<\/a>,\u00a0as well as a presentation by the capoeira<\/a> group from the Camorim Quilombo<\/a>\u00a0community.<\/p>\n

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

Following Black Awareness Day<\/a> celebrated in Brazil on November 20, a special tribute was delivered to longtime\u00a0resident and spiritual leader Heloisa Helena Costa Berto<\/a>,\u00a0a\u00a0Candombl\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0priestess\u00a0whose home (also a\u00a0spiritual center paying homage to Nan\u00e3, the Orix\u00e1 of the Lagoon) is among the final\u00a0two\u00a0marked\u00a0for demolition, based on the Eminent Domain decree filed by the City last March<\/a>. At the event, Heloisa was awarded the prestigious Pedro Ernesto Medal from Rio’s City Council and the\u00a0Dandara Award from the Rio State Congress\u00a0for her resistance and strength in the fight for her land and religious rights. Postcards were distributed with a quotation from Heloisa saying: \u201cIt is not a question of [economic] value [of the property], but a love for your land, your home, and the desire to live in your home. That is why we fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Heloisa<\/a>
Heloisa Helena holds her awards with three of her four children and (to the right) City Councilor Renato Cinco who awarded the prize<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0premiere screening of the documentary \u201cThe Fighter: A Dark Side of Sport<\/a>\u201d took place later in the evening. The film by South African director Dara Kell<\/a> follows the story of 12 year old Vila Aut\u00f3dromo resident Naomy and won\u00a0a\u00a0Golden Panda Film Festival<\/a> Award in Canada earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Vila Aut\u00f3dromo residents were very active in organizing and promoting\u00a0festival, sharing information on the event’s\u00a0Facebook page<\/a> to over 3,500 invitees, demonstrating the community\u2019s reach and extensive network. Lifelong resident Nathalia Silva, 29, said: \u201cToday is very important [for the community] because it\u2019s another moment in history\u2026 Each day is becoming more delicate, and today, November 28, 2015, we have friends and people working and fighting with us.\u201d She continued: \u201cIt\u2019s so great to have all these people here today in the community that I love, that I grew up in and that I want to remain living in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Evictions<\/a>
Evictions Have a Face. S.O.S. Vila Aut\u00f3dromo. Photo project by Guilherme Imbassahy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vila Aut\u00f3dromo residents have been fighting against ongoing forced evictions<\/a> and mistreatment<\/a>\u00a0by the city government since the announcement of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in 2009. Located\u00a0on valuable property next to the main Olympic Park facilities, the community has spent years battling for their right<\/a> to their land, for which they\u00a0received titles<\/a> and gained a 99-year lease. The community has worked hard to deliver events<\/a> and approaches<\/a> to support their position, including an award-winning\u00a0upgrading plan<\/a>\u00a0(now in its fourth version<\/a>)\u00a0confirming residents want to and can co-exist with the construction of the Olympic Park.<\/p>\n

However recent\u00a0lightning evictions<\/a> and poor living conditions have led residents to\u00a0protest. On Wednesday December 3,\u00a0Vila Aut\u00f3dromo barricaded the entrance of the community<\/a> in demand for a street upgrade as conditions\u00a0currently leave residents ankle deep in mud. Residents insist\u00a0they will continue to protest until action is taken to improve conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas \u201cThe Olympics are coming and the pressures of the City government\u00a0are violently increasing, but a determined\u00a0group of residents continues to fight for their rights. Vila Aut\u00f3dromo exists, resists, insists and re-exists!\u201d\u00a0\u2013Vila […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":25613,"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":[1293,1854,1736,1288,1290,1333,1329],"tags":[9,225,1895,756,258,910,11,282,26,1259,5,1866,270,4,21],"writer":[1807],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-25688","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-evictionswatch","8":"category-housingwatch","9":"category-1736","10":"category-highlight","11":"category-civilsociety","12":"category-event-reports","13":"category-by-international-observers","14":"tag-9","15":"tag-barra-da-tijuca","16":"tag-camorim-quilombo","17":"tag-community-organizing","18":"tag-community-solution","19":"tag-creative-organizing","20":"tag-forced-evictions","21":"tag-housing","22":"tag-housing-rights","23":"tag-mega-events","24":"tag-olympics","25":"tag-peoples-plan","26":"tag-resistance","27":"tag-vila-autodromo","28":"tag-west-zone","29":"writer-clare-huggins"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25688","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=25688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25688\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25688"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=25688"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=25688"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=25688"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=25688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}