{"id":77633,"date":"2024-03-19T15:53:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T18:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=77633"},"modified":"2025-09-13T14:07:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T17:07:13","slug":"banning-of-the-acari-fair-intangible-heritage-of-the-city-sung-by-musicians-jorge-ben-jor-and-zeca-pagodinho-harms-vendors-residents-and-exposes-city-halls-moral-hygiene-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=77633","title":{"rendered":"Banning of the Acari Fair, Intangible Heritage of Rio de Janeiro Sung About in World-Famous Brazilian Songs, Harms Vendors, Favela Residents and Exposes the City’s ‘Moral Hygiene’ Policies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The Acari Market, next the metro line. Photo: The Marielle Franco Favelas Dictionary<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/strong><\/i><\/em><\/i><\/em><\/a><\/h4>\n

The traditional Acari Fair<\/a>, which for five decades brightened Sunday mornings around the Acari\/Fazenda Botafogo metro station, was abruptly closed on January 22 by Mayor Eduardo Paes<\/a>, who shared on his social media accounts<\/a> that, following a conversation with Governor Cl\u00e1udio Castro<\/a>, he would issue a decree to prohibit the Acari Fair<\/a> from taking place on any day. City Hall’s decision was announced less than two weeks after the devastating floods<\/a> that swept through the surrounding favela neighborhoods, deepening the suffering of thousands who depend on the fair for sustenance. In the same post, the mayor also said: “It is not acceptable that a ‘fair’ replete with products of unknown origin has its functioning normalized by the City.” For the mayor, the authoritarian and simplistic solution to a complex challenge was the extinction of a traditional street market, recognized as an intangible heritage of the city<\/a> of Rio de Janeiro, which has taken place regularly on Sundays since the 1970s. As a consequence of his arbitrary decision, taken without consulting those affected, February was a bitter and sad month for Acari vendors and residents.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Acari Fair: A Multifaceted Space in the Life of the Local Community<\/h3>\n

The Acari Fair, immortalized in one of Brazilian Popular Music (MPB)’s most iconic songs, “W\/Brasil (Chama o S\u00edndico),” written by Jorge Ben Jor in 1992, in which he melodiously croons, “A Feira de Acari \u00e9 um sucesso (the Acari Fair is a hit),” is an open-air market that has taken place on Sundays in the neighborhood of Acari<\/a> in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone<\/a> for over 50 years<\/a>. Or rather, it used to\u2014until January of this year. Renowned for offering a wide variety of products at affordable prices, the market served as a vital hub of commerce for the local community and drew visitors from across the city. It was a bustling marketplace where one could find everything, from clothing and electronics to fresh food and personal hygiene products.<\/p>\n