{"id":82420,"date":"2025-12-15T17:30:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T20:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=82420"},"modified":"2026-03-13T12:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T15:30:11","slug":"to-lose-your-memory-is-to-lose-your-essence-vidigal-celebrates-its-85th-anniversary-with-cultural-event-inspired-by-the-favela-climate-memory-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=82420","title":{"rendered":"\u2018To Lose Your Memory Is to Lose Your Essence\u2019: Vidigal Celebrates Its 85th Anniversary With Cultural Event Inspired by the \u2018Favela Climate Memory\u2019 Project"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The Favela Climate Memory Exhibition at Vidigal\u2019s 85th anniversary celebration. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

On October 26, Vidigal<\/a>, a favela in Rio de Janeiro’s\u00a0South Zone<\/a>, celebrated<\/a> its 85th anniversary. Organized by the Vidigal Memories Nucleus<\/a>, the celebratory event featured the Favela Climate Memory exhibition<\/a>, a discussion circle, the presentation of the Commander Armando Almeida award, a capoeira circle performed by groups Laje Cultural Rocinha<\/a> and Acorda Capoeira<\/a>, \u201cVidigal Memories Told as Cordel<\/em> Literature<\/a>,\u201d a \u201cVidigal in Poetry\u201d activity and musical performances by groups Vidiga na Social<\/a> and Batuca Vidi<\/a>. The day of activities<\/a> also featured cultural and artistic presentations as well as contributions from local personalities, collectives and social projects that transform the Vidigal community.<\/p>\n

The Favela Climate Memory exhibition, a result of discussion circles developed and carried out by ten museums and memory project members of Rio’s\u00a0Sustainable Favela Network<\/a>,* has recently circulated through the Mar\u00e9<\/a>, Acari<\/a>, City of God<\/a> and Rio das Pedras<\/a> favelas. B\u00e1rbara Nascimento, born and raised in Vidigal and co-founder of the Vidigal Memories Nucleus, which organized the community’s discussion circle reflected in the exhibition, introduced and mediated an exchange inspired by the showing.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday we\u2019re going to talk about our memories of Vidigal, relating them to climate, which is a common issue to all favelas. Anyone who has seen the exhibition can see this, because [the climate issue] is either [used as] an excuse to evict us, or it evicts us anyway, because of tragedies and calamities. So, I invite everyone here to speak.\u201d \u2014 B\u00e1rbara Nascimento<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Residents,<\/a>
Residents, community organizers, members of the Sustainable Favela Network and of the Vidigal Memories Nucleus at Vidigal\u2019s anniversary event. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guti Fraga<\/a>, born and raised in Vidigal and founder of the multi-decade \u201cN\u00f3s do Morro<\/a>\u201d theater group, was honored at the event. He shares his perspective on the changes that have taken place in Vidigal over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose of us who are from Vidigal have memories and feel a longing, don\u2019t we? We really do! We miss so many things. I\u2019ve been reminiscing\u2026 And all the great moments we lived here in Vidigal keep coming to mind. One of the funny things I always say is that I remember when I used to go play pool in Largo do Santinho. We\u2019d look at Avenida Niemeyer and stop a little to enjoy the view from the rock, right? The other side was all forest. When talking about the environment, imagine, it was all forest. There was only one house, which belonged to Cabe\u00e7a, who lived over there. As we see Vidigal\u2019s evolution, on the one hand we are filled with this enormous longing, but on the other, we can\u2019t really escape the Vidigal of today, a Vidigal that also makes us proud. Seeing these fighting, resilient people and who are still so young, it fills us with pride.\u201d \u2014 Guti Fraga<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Guti<\/a>
Guti Fraga, founder of the N\u00f3s do Morro theater group, talks about his memories of the Vidigal community. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Osias Pe\u00e7anha, another resident of Vidigal, lawyer and doctoral student in the Social Sciences, analyzes the importance of preserving memories<\/a> and fighting against forced evictions<\/a>, recalling the protest that closed Avenida Niemeyer in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

\u201cMemory is important, both for the good and the bad moments, so that they don\u2019t repeat themselves. What happened to the enslaved and formerly enslaved Black people? They burned our memories. I\u2019d like to know what tribe I came from, my mother came from, my grandmother who came here, one of the first families to come to Vidigal. Memory is very important. Those who make History, those who were part of it. For example, those here in Vidigal who were part of the resistance, the teachers who took the students to close off Niemeyer [so eviction trucks couldn’t get through<\/a>].\u201d \u2014 Osias Pecanha<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

During the discussion circle, the group recalled the impacts<\/a> of rains and landslides in Vidigal. Resident Maria Cust\u00f3dia, known as Bigu, remembered these events and their impacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1996, the people up at the top [of the hill] would say \u2018come on, so and so,\u2019 calling their neighbors, \u2018come on, there are people buried,\u2019 and people went down to help even before the firemen arrived. So, this unity we have here in Vidigal can\u2019t be lost. Vidigal\u2019s unity has to go on, because those arriving today don\u2019t have love for our land, our roots, our seeds\u2026 And we, as long-standing residents, can\u2019t lose this essence. Let\u2019s make Vidigal\u2019s stories<\/a> visible, so that the people getting here now will respect them.\u201d \u2014 Maria Cust\u00f3dia<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rita Machado<\/a>, also a resident, recalled the 1970 evictions and the historic 1988 landslide\u00a0as key events in the community\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the flood in 1996, there had been another big one\u2026 there was also a landslide up here in 1988\u2026 Many people were buried, many died\u2026 So, Vidigal has always gone through this because of its geography, these tragedies. I was looking at the exhibition and it\u2019s really beautiful, really moving. Sometimes we\u2019re unaware of the work we do over the course of a life\u2026 I understand that the important thing is for us to constantly revive our memory, because when you lose your memory, you lose your History, you lose your essence, and you become deterritorialized<\/a>.\u201d \u2014 Rita Machado<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Vidigal\u2019s<\/a>
Vidigal\u2019s view and location, along the waterfront of the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, in between the affluent neighborhoods of Leblon and S\u00e3o Conrado, has led to its population increase, verticalization, touristification and gentrification. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Simone Rezende is a resident of Santa Marta<\/a>, another favela in the South Zone, in the neighborhood of Botafogo<\/a>. As an elementary school teacher who worked in Vidigal, she recognizes the improvement in the favela\u2019s conditions. However, she also questions the processes of touristification and gentrification<\/a> in the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys, I\u2019m from the days of shacks, from the time when neighbors helped each other build their homes. We walked paths made of mud\u2014that\u2019s the time I\u2019m from. So, [Vidigal] has evolved a lot, thank God, it\u2019s improved a lot, but in other aspects, unfortunately\u2026 It\u2019s really bad because people come up to the community to see the view, to see the beautiful, amazing spots in Rio de Janeiro, but they don\u2019t know our struggle. If they at least knew our struggle, our history\u2026 I think tourism has to start telling the community\u2019s history.\u201d \u2014 Simone Rezende<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ana Lima, a tour guide born and raised in Vidigal, spoke about the importance of tourism being led by local guides who know the community\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother decided to open the first hostel in Vidigal. Some people here mentioned tourism, and I\u2019m a local guide. It\u2019s very important that those of us who are from the place be the ones guiding tourists\u2026 I tell the story of all these experiences, because I lived through all of this.\u201d \u2014 Ana Lima<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Evania de Paula is a visual artist and cofounder of the NGO Horizonte<\/a>. Born and raised in Vidigal and currently living in Pedra de Guaratiba<\/a>, she shares her views on the favela\u2019s growth without the necessary infrastructure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came back, in 2021, as a researcher\u2026 I was terrified by how many people there were. I was scared by the level of verticalization the community had taken on. I think Vidigal is exhausted and, because of that, has been experiencing urban heat waves so frequently, and these impacts of climate change are directly linked to the lack of infrastructure. [Vidigal] hasn\u2019t been able to keep up with the number of people and has become a tourist \u2018hotspot<\/a>\u2019\u2026 but there has to be infrastructure [for them].\u201d \u2014 Evania de Paula<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Seu<\/a>
Seu<\/em> Armando (on the right) awards Seu<\/em> Aleluia with a certificate of honor. Both of them are historic figures in Vidigal. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Armando Almeida Lima, known as Seu<\/em> Armando, one of Vidigal\u2019s longest-standing residents<\/a>, shared how he, alongside others, created the Vidigal Residents\u2019 Association (AMVV<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cI always say the Residents\u2019 Association is my eldest child. I never gave up on it. It was founded in July 1967, with the participation of some residents who are no longer among us. It was created precisely to fight people who claimed to \u2018own the area\u2019 and wanted to remove us from here\u2026 Through this struggle, we were able to kick these supposed owners<\/a> out, stop a forced eviction in the midst of the military regime<\/a> and bring services to the community, which at the time was \u2018all forest\u2019\u2026 We managed to bring in running water<\/a>, electricity, a health clinic, a headquarters for the association and paved roads.\u201d \u2014 Armando Almeida Lima<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After a morning of exchanges in the discussion circles, the afternoon program continued with visits to the exhibition, film screenings and displays of old photos and cultural performances.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Batuca Vidi Group, which performed at Vidigal\u2019s 85th anniversary event. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to the capoeira circle performed by the groups Laje Cultural Rocinha<\/a> and Acorda Capoeira<\/a>, Ninho de Paula<\/a> performed his theater sketch Greeting the Ancestors<\/em> and cordel<\/em> literature<\/a> artist Victor Lobisomem<\/a> read his poem \u201cMemories of Vidigal Told in Cordel Literature.\u201d In one passage, he recounts Pope John Paul II\u2019s visit<\/a> to the favela, which helped residents’ struggle for the right to remain.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight before the visit
\nA moment long awaited
\nThe Vidigal favela
\nWas expropriated
\nFor all social purposes
\nThe papers were signed and officiated<\/p>\n

The fight was not in vain
\nTo the land the people held on
\nThe right to housing
\nVidigal won
\nOther struggles persist
\nThe mission is not done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Victor Lobisomen<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

See<\/a> the Full Album of Vidigal\u2019s 85th Anniversary Celebration with the Climate Memory Exhibition:<\/h3>\n

\"Exposi\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a>