{"id":81141,"date":"2025-08-06T10:44:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T13:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=81141"},"modified":"2025-08-12T11:05:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T14:05:18","slug":"cerro-cora-residents-in-motion-favela-collective-strengthens-community-through-literacy-memory-culture-and-film-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=81141","title":{"rendered":"Cerro Cor\u00e1 Residents in Motion: Favela Collective Strengthens Community Through Literacy, Memory, Culture and Film [PROFILE]"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jeferson<\/a>
Jeferson Dias, member of the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Residents in Motion Collective, leads a storytelling session for about 20 children at the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Community Library. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

In 2013, in the Cerro Cor\u00e1<\/a> favela, nestled between the neighborhoods of Cosme Velho<\/a> and Santa Teresa<\/a>, in Rio de Janeiro\u2019s South Zone<\/a>, the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Residents in Motion Collective<\/a> was founded alongside the launch of the social memory project Memories from Cerro Cor\u00e1<\/a>. After occupying the deactivated headquarters of the local Residents\u2019 Association in 2014, the group inaugurated the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Community Library<\/a>, which today stands as one of the community\u2019s most important hubs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first exhibition took place on August 13, 2013. Our first actions were a bit naive, we didn\u2019t really know what we were doing\u2026 The main goal [was] to bring out the importance of memory, especially of the people who are and were part of building what Cerro Cor\u00e1 is\u2026 We, in Cerro Cor\u00e1, have our micro-heroes\u2014really important people\u2014like Seu Murciano Marinho, who was responsible, at the time, for [bringing] water, electricity, and other major achievements to the favela. Dona Baia, who was a midwife\u2014we talked with her a lot, but she didn\u2019t want to be recorded, she didn\u2019t give us permission\u2026 We think a lot about building identity [through] the past.\u201d \u2014 Ricardo Rodrigues<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Today, when you arrive at the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Community Library, you can see old photos on the wall: everyday images of homes from the early days of the favela\u2019s occupation, of parties and dances in the community. Ricardo Rodrigues, one of the collective\u2019s co-founders, talks about what motivated them to create Memories from Cerro Cor\u00e1 and explains the research process and the involvement of residents, who lent their personal archives to help build the collection, which is now available to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first exhibition, we went door to door, collecting old photos and such. We\u2019d scan them and then return them the following week. Dona Sulica played a big part in this, because she\u2019d convince others to lend us their photos. And then, sometimes, [someone\u2019s] son would give us the photo, but no longer remembered whose house it was, or who the person was, and so forth. Then she\u2019d say: \u2018This was so-and-so\u2019s house; there used to be a tree here and this was the story of the tree; and this was so-and-so\u2019s story\u2014who lived there before that person moved in, etc.\u2019 She was really important in building these stories.\u201d \u2014 Ricardo Rodrigues<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Ricardo<\/a>
Ricardo Rodrigues poses next to the permanent exhibition \u201cMemories from Cerro Cor\u00e1\u201d at the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Community Library. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The community library<\/a> also has a vast collection of books and offers daily activities with local residents. Andr\u00e9 Martins, the library coordinator, explains that the work developed in the space includes reading mediation, book lending, workshops, and educational activities. He says that the people who visit the library on a daily basis come looking for these activities. Most of them are children between the ages of two and 14, but the library\u2019s collection includes books for all ages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe open the library from Monday to Friday and operate like this: always doing a reading mediation and some kind of workshop. But literature is always the entry point. Jeferson always leads [the storytelling]. I coordinate with him, but he\u2019s the one who does the mediations.\u201d \u2014 Andr\u00e9 Martins<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"From<\/a>
From left to right, members of the collective: Ricardo Rodrigues, Luciane Medeiros, Andr\u00e9 Martins, and Jeferson Dias at the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Community Library. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Martins also mentioned Cine Morr\u00e3o<\/a>, the film club run by Cerro Cor\u00e1 residents. By screening free movies in public spaces and hosting open community events, the audiovisual collective ensures access to films<\/a> in the favela. Screenings are usually followed by discussions.<\/p>\n

\u201c[We] host Cine Morr\u00e3o in an open space so it can reach everyone, including people just walking by, who see the movie being shown\u2026 All residents of the community can come watch and participate in the discussion.\u201d \u2014 Andr\u00e9 Martins<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

During a recent activity, Jeferson Dias told the Afrocentered story Er\u00e9 Mi: African Mythology for Children<\/em><\/a> to approximately 20 children present at the event. Reading mediations encourage children to read and develop a taste for books. During storytelling, Dias encouraged a few children who are learning to read<\/a> to read along with him. At the end of the group reading, the children were invited to express their opinions about the book in a drawing workshop. After the workshop, Dias, who is responsible for the educational component at the library, commented on the importance of this work.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegarding the library, I\u2019m responsible for books and reading with the children. So here, I take part in reading mediation. I work with books and reading every week: encouraging children to read, encouraging them to pick up books. Because the vast majority of our children come in with a big learning gap at school. And we don\u2019t have the structure needed to work on literacy with them. But we understand that by encouraging reading\u2014even if they don\u2019t know how to read\u2014they enjoy stories. They like understanding stories, reading, and looking. There are children who are still learning to read, or who are still in daycare, who want to read, who want to look at the pictures. So we do this work to foster reading.\u201d \u2014 Jeferson Dias<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Jeferson<\/a>
Jeferson Dias, member of the collective, tells the story “Er\u00e9 Mi: African Mythology for Children” and encourages young residents to read at the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Community Library. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With regard to the curation of the books that make up the collection, Dias explains that the selection of titles and themes is focused on fostering educational work with the children who come to the library.<\/p>\n

\u201cI round up the books I\u2019m going to read during the week. I read the ones I\u2019m going to [introduce to the children] to get a feel for the reading. I research what I need [to present] the book, and then I choose a theme for that day. It can be water, earth\u2026 So, I look for themes that are part of their everyday lives to make this introduction to reading. And then comes the drawing activity. Sometimes I make a drawing, other times we do it as part of the film club. So we do this work based on the day and the theme.\u201d \u2014 Jeferson Dias<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Behind the scenes, in every activity, is Luciane Medeiros, also a member of the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Residents in Motion Collective and the administrative coordinator. Medeiros raises funds to keep the project running and manages the day-to-day operations of the library. Sometimes she takes part in workshops and organizes field trips, when the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Community Library takes the children who use the space to museums<\/a>, parks, and even other libraries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe collective makes access to the city possible through visits to other spaces, other cultures, [including] museums, libraries, parks, and exhibitions. They\u2019re usually something different for our readers. I\u2019m also responsible for teaching cooking and handicraft workshops, which supplement the library\u2019s activities.\u201d \u2014 Luciane Medeiros<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Bernardo<\/a>
Bernardo Medeiros and Francisco Rodrigues participate in the reading and storytelling activities at the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Community Library. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the children who take part in the storytelling activities, six-year-old Francisco Rodrigues*, who is learning to read, says he likes the library because \u201cat my age, I only like to read the pictures in books.\u201d Bernardo Medeiros*, age seven, says he comes to the space because \u201cthere are books, games, stories, and snacks here.\u201d<\/p>\n

In favelas, where State neglect<\/a> is a reality, the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Residents in Motion Collective resists by building a space for education, culture, and memory<\/a> through initiatives like Cine Morr\u00e3o, the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Community Library, and the Memories from Cerro Cor\u00e1 exhibition. In addition to offering activities for residents\u2014especially children\u2014these initiatives create spaces of belonging and experiences that value the stories of Cerro Cor\u00e1 in an autonomous, affective, and collective way.<\/p>\n

*The children were interviewed with permission from their guardians.<\/em><\/p>\n

About the author:\u00a0B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/a>\u00a0was born and raised in Bangu, in Rio\u2019s West Zone. She has a degree in Biological Sciences, a master\u2019s in Environmental Education, and has been a public school teacher since 2006. She is a photojournalist and also works with documentary photography. She is a popular communicator for N\u00facleo Piratininga de Comunica\u00e7\u00e3o (NPC<\/a>) and co-founder of\u00a0Coletivo Fotoguerrilha<\/a>.<\/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 In 2013, in the Cerro Cor\u00e1 favela, nestled between the neighborhoods of Cosme Velho and Santa Teresa, in Rio de Janeiro\u2019s South Zone, the Cerro Cor\u00e1 Residents in Motion Collective was […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":245,"featured_media":81143,"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":[1288,1328,1271,1284,329],"tags":[1098,258,2897,910,397,602,2684,970,3257,666,1019,172,2463,156,2124,1017,259],"writer":[3542],"translator":[3795],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[3548],"class_list":{"0":"post-81141","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-highlight","8":"category-by-community-contributors","9":"category-favelaqualities","10":"category-interviews-profiles","11":"category-solutions","12":"tag-cerro-cora","13":"tag-community-solution","14":"tag-cosme-velho","15":"tag-creative-organizing","16":"tag-education","17":"tag-film","18":"tag-film-club","19":"tag-free-libraries","20":"tag-literacy","21":"tag-literature","22":"tag-right-to-education","23":"tag-santa-teresa","24":"tag-social-museology","25":"tag-south-zone","26":"tag-sustainable-favela-network","27":"tag-childrens-rights","28":"tag-youth","29":"writer-barbara-dias","30":"translator-marina-devine-guzman","31":"photographer-barbara-dias"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81141","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=81141"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81430,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81141\/revisions\/81430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/81143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81141"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=81141"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=81141"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=81141"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=81141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}