{"id":81808,"date":"2025-09-30T18:26:42","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T21:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=81808"},"modified":"2025-10-01T10:38:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T13:38:14","slug":"81808","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=81808","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019ll Only Succeed If We Work Together. On Our Own, We\u2019re Weak\u2019: Collective Action Revives Green Space in Complexo da Coreia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>
A collective cleanup gave the initial push for the conservation and reforestation of the green space at Caminho Anes Dias, in Complexo da Coreia. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

On September 21, Complexo da Coreia, a group of favelas in Senador Camar\u00e1<\/a>, in Rio de Janeiro’s West Zone<\/a>, carried out a collective cleanup in the green area of Caminho Anes Dias. The activity brought together members of The Love Troop<\/a>, a local socio-environmental project, members of Affective Earth<\/a>, and volunteer residents from the community and beyond. The activity, which also included a cultural soir\u00e9e, was part of the 2025 Standing Amazon 24-Hour Cultural Marathon<\/a> and the Sustainable Favela Network<\/a>‘s* Collective Calendar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite the hot and sunny Sunday, participants showed no lack of energy as they kicked off by removing waste from Caminho Anes Dias. The initial idea behind the activity was to prepare the space to receive fruit tree seedlings and turn it into a leisure area for local residents.<\/p>\n

Fernando dos Santos, local organizer and a member of both Affective Earth and The Love Troop, shared how they came up with the idea for the initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve worked with culture for some time now. I’m a musician, I work with art, and I’ve also been researching and experimenting with gardening and ancestral medicine. I recently started to organize environmental actions here in the area, since there are very few projects, very few initiatives of the kind around here. For this first activity our aim is to remove the trash and plant seedlings, fruit trees, specifically so that… children can harvest them, and most of all to encourage collective care for the space. This is a place without a single square; it’s a dead-end street, somewhat isolated. At the end, there are some green spaces, but no playground. We also hope to improve it in this sense.\u201d \u2014 Fernando dos Santos<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Alongside<\/a>
Alongside other partners, members of Affective Earth and The Love Troop clean and weed Caminho Anes Dias. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to having few public leisure areas, Complexo da Coreia is little known and has not attracted initiatives to support local development. \u201cThis is an isolated community. People here are usually just passing through\u2026 The West Zone is very forgotten, Sant\u00edssimo in particular, I think,\u201d reflected Thaysa Santos, an Affective Earth community organizer.<\/p>\n

Fernando dos Santos explained that, almost always, when West Zone favelas are remembered, it is mainly in connection with violence. As a way of countering this stigma, he named the project \u201cThe Love Troop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe called it The Love Troop to joke a bit with this notion of the area’s violence… [Our initiative] changes that view. This area is seen and remembered for its violence. If you search ‘Complexo da Coreia’ on Google, all you’re going to find are police raids, armored trucks, helicopters, and such… But there’s a diversity of events, people, and potential here, and we’ve got to make sure that evolves, you know? And we’re only going to do that if we work together<\/a>. On our own, we’re weak.\u201d \u2014 Fernando dos Santos<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Seu<\/a>
Seu<\/em> Ant\u00f4nio Rodrigues, one of the longest-standing residents of Caminho Anes Dias, has a water spring in his backyard that supplies his home and those of his neighbors. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The initiative had the support of long-time residents, such as Seu<\/em> Ant\u00f4nio Rodrigues. At 71, Seu<\/em> Ant\u00f4nio has lived in the community for 68 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the first one to come live here. Back then, it was just trees and brush… A collective action<\/a> [like this one] is a beautiful thing. If everyone did something like this everywhere, there wouldn’t be [trash] on riverbanks or in the streets… It’s the first time we’ve seen a project like this. No one had ever done anything here, apart from politicians.\u201d \u2014 Ant\u00f4nio Rodrigues<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Proud of his community, Seu<\/em> Ant\u00f4nio says he lives in close contact with nature and that the water supplying his home comes from a spring: \u201cI\u2019ve never had piped water from CEDAE<\/a> [Rio de Janeiro\u2019s state water and sewage utility] here at home. Just look at where I live\u2014in the morning all you hear are birds singing in the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building on the cleanups, Affective Earth and The Love Troop intend to maintain the conservation of the green spaces of Caminho Anes Dias and, later on, plant fruit tree seedlings. Due to the day’s intense heat, the planting of the seedlings\u2014which would not have survived the high temperatures\u2014was postponed.<\/p>\n

\"Residents<\/a>
Residents and artists from the West Zone cultural scene took part in a cultural soir\u00e9e, which wrapped up the day of activities at Caminho Anes Dias. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the cleanup and the collective lunch, a cultural soir\u00e9e brought together residents and West Zone artists, with DJ Ras Renato on the decks and artistic performances by Express\u00e3o Sonora RJ<\/a>, Procopio<\/a>, Baralho no Bolso<\/a>, Adil Franco<\/a>, and Santos Tit\u00e3s<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The goal of the first collective action in Complexo da Coreia was to begin recovering a space that had, until then, been abandoned and to draw the community\u2019s attention. The results of the effort were visible, with the involvement of residents and volunteers from other areas. In this way, they planted a seed that will sprout in the coming months into a green space at Caminho Anes Dias.<\/p>\n

View the Photo Album<\/a> of the Collective Action at Caminho Anes Dias:<\/h3>\n

\"Mutir\u00e3o<\/a>