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Latest News
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Brazil Elections 2026: Favela Communicators Fight Misinformation and Digital Vulnerability #CommunityMedia
  • [ February 15, 2026 ] Violent Rains Ravage Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas—Causing Floods and Landslides Ahead of Carnival—Show #VoicesFromSocialMedia #CommunityMedia
  • [ February 13, 2026 ] Queens from the Favelas: Meet Homegrown Rhythm Section Queens Upholding Black, Peripheral and Female Leadership in Rio’s Carnival *Highlight
  • [ February 11, 2026 ] In Serrinha Favela, Kids Make Things Happen! Community Project ‘Mulecada Que Agita’ Continues the Legacy of Generations of Sambistas and Jongueiros [INTERVIEW] *Highlight
  • [ February 9, 2026 ] Solidarity Kitchen and Social Impact School ‘Sweet Memories by Claudia Queiroga’ Feeds Body and Soul in Greater Rio [PROFILE] *Highlight
Homefavela culture

favela culture

*Highlight

Queens from the Favelas: Meet Homegrown Rhythm Section Queens Upholding Black, Peripheral and Female Leadership in Rio’s Carnival

By Amanda Baroni Lopes • Translation by Staff • February 13, 2026

Clique aqui para Português In Rio de Janeiro’s 2026 Carnival, RioOnWatch highlights the only two “rainhas de bateria,” rhythm section queens, who hail from the favelas where their samba schools are located. Leading the rhythm […]

*Highlight

In Serrinha Favela, Kids Make Things Happen! Community Project ‘Mulecada Que Agita’ Continues the Legacy of Generations of Sambistas and Jongueiros [INTERVIEW]

By Rhuan Gonçalves • Translation by Staff • February 11, 2026

Clique aqui para Português This 2026 Rio de Janeiro carnival, RioOnWatch paid a visit to the traditional, century-old Serrinha favela to get to know the Mulecada Que Agita project by interviewing its founders and members. […]

by Community Contributors

The Story of Dona Pascoalina, Midwife and Healer of Morro do Borel

By Igor Soares • Translation by Aaron Scott • November 30, 2025

Clique aqui para Português This article marks Brazilian Black Awareness Month 2025 and is part of RioOnWatch‘s series on Memories of Favela Power, which documents and celebrates the history of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas through […]

*Highlight

Turning Affection Into Film: The Legacy of Cadu Barcellos, a Maré Native Who Brought Dignity to the Favela in Brazilian Film

By Juliana Portella • Translation by Marina Devine Guzmán • August 25, 2025

Clique aqui para Português In the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, in the group of favelas that make up Complexo da Maré—more precisely, in the Pinheiro favela, Block 7, apartment 502: that’s where Cadu […]

*Highlight

The Play ‘Pacts to Reforest the Earth’ Portrays 2040 in Rio’s Maré Favela, Where ‘All That Remain Are the Pests and the Power of Ancestral Love’ [REVIEW]

By Karen Fontoura • Translation by Kay Alvito • July 30, 2025

Clique aqui para Português Through dance, music, audiovisual and many laughs, two Black queers stage the end of humanity. Set in 2040, as the post-human era begins, the play raises the questions: what is Complexo […]

Posts pagination

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RioOnWatch’s anti-racist reporting series won silver in the 2022 inaugural The Anthem Awards, in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category among Best Local Awareness Programs.
A Project of

About

In May 2010, Catalytic Communities launched what was originally Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch (hence RioOnWatch), a program to bring visibility to favela community voices in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. This news site, RioOnWatch.org, grew into a much-needed and unique reference featuring favela perspectives on the urban transformation of Rio. With diverse and deeply interlinked articles by a mix of community reporters, resident opinions, solidarity reporters, international observers, and academic researchers, we work to engender a more accurate picture of favelas, their contributions to the city, and the potential of favela-led community development in Rio and around the world.

Contact & Support

contact@rioonwatch.org
WhatsApp +55.21.991.976.444
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10 Years! Check Out Our Story:

Awards

Special Thanks

Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil
World Habitat
Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña
Pastoral de Favelas
Center for CLT Innovation
Global Land Alliance
Ecocity Builders
Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation
SDSU Behner Stiefel Center
The Rio Times
Forum Grita Baixada
Beto Paixão Graphic Design
Architecture Museum of Vienna
Yale School of Architecture

  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
    • Understanding Rio
    • Reference Articles
  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
    • North Zone
    • West Zone
    • Greater Rio
  • Policies
    • Public Security
    • Housing
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
    • Community Solution
    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
      • Anti-Racist Series
      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
    • Interviews/Profiles
    • Research & Analysis
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
  • For Journos
  • Donate

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