{"id":80444,"date":"2025-02-10T23:34:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T02:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=80444"},"modified":"2025-02-16T23:37:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T02:37:50","slug":"seminar-held-in-rio-de-janeiros-wealthiest-area-discusses-the-demands-of-the-citys-favelas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=80444","title":{"rendered":"In Wealthy Leblon, Seminar Centers Demands of Rio Favelas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"1st<\/a>
First seminar, entitled \u201cDialogues on Housing, Urban Planning, Environment, Culture, and Entrepreneurship,” organized by the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Federation of Favelas (FAF-RIO) in partnership with Instituto 12. Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

On January 30, the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Federation of Favelas (FAF-RIO<\/a>), in partnership with Instituto 12<\/a>, \u1ecc\u0300y\u1ecd\u0301 Cultural<\/a>, and Cetbras, held the first edition of the FAF-RIO seminar entitled \u201cDialogues on Housing, Urban Planning, Environment, Culture, and Entrepreneurship,\u201d dedicated to discussing the challenges and potential of the city’s favelas. The event took place at the Instituto 12 headquarters, located in Leblon<\/a>, in Rio\u2019s high-end South Zone<\/a>, and was attended by 100 people, including the general public, public authorities, favela leaders and collectives, and professionals from the fields of housing, urban planning, environment, culture, and entrepreneurship. The initiative aimed to foster a closer dialogue between authorities, strategic sectors and grassroots movements, bringing discussions of interest to favelas into one of the South Zone’s most affluent neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Paths to Coexistence: Housing and the Urban Environment<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Rio de Janeiro Municipal Federation of Favelas (FAF-RIO), together with Instituto 12, Cetbras, and \u1ecc\u0300y\u1ecd\u0301, sponsored by Light and \u00c1guas do Rio, kicks off the year with its first seminar on Rio\u2019s favelas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The seminar sparked reflections on different forms of social disparity and how favelas both reflect and subvert them. According to architect and FAF-RIO\u2019s Director of Architecture and Urban Planning, Fernando Pereira, who is responsible for the Favela Architects<\/a> project, any urban planning initiative must focus on human beings, beyond infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a family doesn\u2019t even know how they\u2019re going to eat next month or buy cooking gas\u2014how are they supposed to afford an urbanist\/architect? I believe [urban design in the favelas] is a way to provide dignity. We need to think of ways to bring dignity to favelas, and architecture is one of them. That is, if the professional architect is a good listener. A project can\u2019t come ready-made; it has to be built collectively, and only then will it have a positive impact on people\u2019s lives.\u201d \u2014 Fernando Pereira<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Marcello Deodoro, president of the Indiana Community Residents\u2019 Commission<\/a>\u2014a collective responsible for various initiatives, including environmental restoration in the Indiana<\/a> favela in Greater Tijuca<\/a>, in the North Zone<\/a> of the city\u2014highlighted the need for collective organizing regarding environmental care in the urban context.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in a city, but at the same time, some areas are cut by rivers that are remnants of the Atlantic Forest. We need to learn how to coexist\u2014we can\u2019t ignore that this is part of our reality. We are also part of the environment. The favela is located within the Atlantic Forest, but you can also see paved roads and wealthy people living there. We need to understand that nature itself has limits when it comes to human intervention.\u201d \u2014 Marcello Deodoro<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"1st<\/a>
1st FAF-RIO Seminar in Leblon, Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also from the Indiana community, Ruth Sales, a member of the Black Women from Favelas movement, pointed out how racism hinders the development of residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid anyone choose to live in a favela? No one does\u2014it\u2019s historical. For the most part, it’s our Black people living in favelas, without humane living conditions. It\u2019s historical. We have a history. We were enslaved, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re [living] in this place\u2014a place where anything goes [including all kinds of violence and social issues]. Where we are constantly surviving, not living, where a bullet can find us at any moment. We can fall ill and not have the right to healthcare, not be treated. Life in the favela is very hard. It\u2019s a social challenge we face every day.\u201d \u2014 Ruth Sales (Black Women from Favelas)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Entrepreneurship, Culture, and Successful Favela Initiatives<\/h3>\n

From the perspective of Afro-entrepreneur and psychologist Qu\u00eania Alleluia Okaunhola, the event represents an opportunity in a moment of political change, fostering closer ties between public authorities and society. She points out, however, that favelas still need to fight to achieve their demands.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is the first time [for us, speaking in this space] because now there\u2019s an interest in listening to us, even if they already have something ready to hand over. But at least today, I can speak about what my community needs\u2014what we want, what will be good for us. Sometimes they want to pave roads, and that\u2019s not what we want. We have to speak up, we have to fight, we have to make our voices heard. We have to show that we have desires, that there are things we want, things that are important to us. We can\u2019t accept having a square built at the entrance to our community just so that people passing by can say, \u2018Wow, what a beautiful square,\u2019 and feel less guilty.\u201d \u2014 Qu\u00eania Alleluia Okaunhola<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

M\u00e1rcia Souza<\/a>, one of the founders of the Favela Museum<\/a> in the Pav\u00e3o-Pav\u00e3ozinho<\/a>\/Cantagalo<\/a> favelas, emphasizes how important it is for participants to make their presence felt in an elite neighborhood like Leblon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important for us to be in this space. We\u2019re in the South Zone, in the area with the most expensive square meter [of real estate] in the city. We\u2019re in Leblon, a place we normally wouldn\u2019t have access to as favela residents. And it\u2019s very important to talk about our struggles and our achievements to people from the favelas as well\u2014not just to politicians and businesspeople, but to people from the favelas who act on behalf of their favelas. Movements often end up being very isolated, so when there\u2019s an opportunity to bring everyone together and share what we\u2019re doing, that\u2019s very important to me. A successful project is one that keeps bringing in new people.\u201d \u2014 M\u00e1rcia Souza<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Elma Alleluia, president of the Alzira Alleluia Vocational Training Center<\/a> in the favela of Vidigal<\/a>, was one of the leaders who presented the outcomes of her local initiatives. Above all, however, she left a profound reflection on what she considers success for the participants of FAF-RIO\u2019s first seminar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important for us to be in these spaces, in these territories, so we can bring knowledge and opportunity. Success is the expression of what we\u2019ve done, thought, and implemented. And then we share it with others so they can have the courage and boldness to pursue success.\u201d \u2014 Elma Alleluia<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Also present at the event were: Carlos Portinho<\/a>, senator and Secretary of Housing for the state of Rio de Janeiro; Iazana Guizzo<\/a>, Ph.D. in Architecture\/Urbanism; Michelle Beatrice<\/a>, vice president of the Council of Architecture and Urbanism-Rio de Janeiro Chapter (CAU-RJ<\/a>); Max Lemos<\/a>, president of the Parliamentary Front for Favelas<\/a>; Vitor Hugo<\/a>, city councilor; Ivanir dos Santos<\/a>, babalawo<\/em>\u2014a high priest in the Afro-Brazilian Candombl\u00e9 religion, Ph.D. in Comparative History, and professor; Reginaldo Lima<\/a>, from Investe Favela<\/a>, an investor and business accelerator for entrepreneurs from favelas and peripheral areas; Karen Andrade<\/a>, entrepreneur from the favelas of Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/a>; Ana Maria Esp\u00edrito Santo, artisan and craft instructor; Lupper Concep\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a>, music teacher and former Deputy Secretary of Culture of Maric\u00e1<\/a>; Eliza Ramos, photojournalist; and J\u00falio C\u00e9sar da Silva, president of the National Foundation for Children\u2019s and Youth Literature<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About the author: Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/a> is a journalism student at Unicarioca and was part of the first Journalism Laboratory organized by Mar\u00e9’s community newspaper Mar\u00e9 de Not\u00edcias<\/a>. She is the author of the\u00a0Anti-Harassment Guide on Breaking<\/a>, a handbook that explains what is and isn\u2019t harassment to the Hip Hop audience and provides guidance on what to do in these situations. Lopes is from\u00a0Morro do Timbau<\/a>\u00a0and currently lives in\u00a0Vila do Jo\u00e3o<\/a>, both favelas within the larger Mar\u00e9 favela complex.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Support\u00a0<\/b>RioOnWatch<\/i><\/b>\u2019s tireless, critical and cutting-edge hyperlocal journalism, online community organizing meetings, and direct support to favelas\u00a0<\/b>by clicking here.<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas On January 30, the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Federation of Favelas (FAF-RIO), in partnership with Instituto 12, \u1ecc\u0300y\u1ecd\u0301 Cultural, and Cetbras, held the first edition of the FAF-RIO seminar entitled \u201cDialogues […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":245,"featured_media":80446,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1668,1328,1290,1333,3527],"tags":[112,32,842,445,2622,883,419,1703,1349,155,301,156,363],"writer":[3501],"translator":[3452],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[3706],"class_list":{"0":"post-80444","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-participationwatch","8":"category-by-community-contributors","9":"category-civilsociety","10":"category-event-reports","11":"category-representation","12":"tag-cantagalo","13":"tag-complexo-do-alemao","14":"tag-debate","15":"tag-entrepreneurship","16":"tag-event","17":"tag-indiana","18":"tag-leblon","19":"tag-marica","20":"tag-museu-de-favela","21":"tag-pavao-pavaozinho","22":"tag-public-policy","23":"tag-south-zone","24":"tag-vidigal","25":"writer-amanda-baroni-lopes","26":"translator-staff","27":"photographer-amanda-baroni-lopes"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80444","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\/245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=80444"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80471,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80444\/revisions\/80471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/80446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=80444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=80444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=80444"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=80444"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=80444"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=80444"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=80444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}