An Inside Look at Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas
05-11-2004 (Brasilia)
http://www.vivafavela.com.br
Using the web to foster social inclusion in Rio de Janeiro’s low-income urban settlements, the so-called favelas, is the idea behind the Viva Favela website, an innovative communication experience of Viva Rio, a UNESCO supported non-governmental organization.
UNESCO’s Maria Inês Bastos reports from Brazil for WebWorld.
The Viva Favela team is made up of journalists and “community correspondents” who are favela residents qualified to act as reporters and photographers. With their “inside” perspective, they help expose all of the human, historical, cultural, economic, and social dimensions of these lower income communities.
Started in July 2001, Viva Favela aims to broaden the digital inclusion of these communities and to reduce social inequality. It is the only Latin American portal of its kind. And, according to a study by the Institute of Religious Studies (ISER), the portal is accessed by approximately 10% of the favela residents in the city of Rio de Janeiro that use the Internet.
By producing journalistic coverage different from the conventional media – which tends to cover primarily themes connected to violence –Viva Favela has become an inspirational source of material for newspapers, magazines, and television stations (an average of 10 materials per month).
The favelas, which are home to a significant portion (1.1 million) of Rio de Janeiro’s population, had been lacking a channel of expression. By creating this channel and making a practically unknown part of urban reality available to the mainstream, Viva Favela has become an important reference to researchers, students, and academics around the world. An estimated 10% of the access to the portal comes from abroad.
Furthermore, Viva Favela hosts a variety of sites of hip hop music and community radio stations like Rede Viva Favela, as well as Cambitolândia, a site with animation inspired by daily life in the favelas. Among the other sites created by this project are: Favela Tem Memória (www.favelatememoria.com.br), Beleza Pura (www.belezapura.org.br), EcoPop (www.ecopop.com.br), and Clique Seu Direito (www.cliqueseudireito.com.br).
In the fight to expand the number of opportunities within the job market for the lower income population, Viva Favela also serves as an articulator of local economic development. The portal accomplishes this through its partnership with Estação Futuro (a digital access project of Viva Rio).
In summary, Viva Favela is an indispensable tool for anyone that wants to better understand and improve the current reality of Brazilian society.
The Viva Favela team is made up of journalists and “community correspondents” who are favela residents qualified to act as reporters and photographers. With their “inside” perspective, they help expose all of the human, historical, cultural, economic, and social dimensions of these lower income communities.
Started in July 2001, Viva Favela aims to broaden the digital inclusion of these communities and to reduce social inequality. It is the only Latin American portal of its kind. And, according to a study by the Institute of Religious Studies (ISER), the portal is accessed by approximately 10% of the favela residents in the city of Rio de Janeiro that use the Internet.
By producing journalistic coverage different from the conventional media – which tends to cover primarily themes connected to violence –Viva Favela has become an inspirational source of material for newspapers, magazines, and television stations (an average of 10 materials per month).
The favelas, which are home to a significant portion (1.1 million) of Rio de Janeiro’s population, had been lacking a channel of expression. By creating this channel and making a practically unknown part of urban reality available to the mainstream, Viva Favela has become an important reference to researchers, students, and academics around the world. An estimated 10% of the access to the portal comes from abroad.
Furthermore, Viva Favela hosts a variety of sites of hip hop music and community radio stations like Rede Viva Favela, as well as Cambitolândia, a site with animation inspired by daily life in the favelas. Among the other sites created by this project are: Favela Tem Memória (www.favelatememoria.com.br), Beleza Pura (www.belezapura.org.br), EcoPop (www.ecopop.com.br), and Clique Seu Direito (www.cliqueseudireito.com.br).
In the fight to expand the number of opportunities within the job market for the lower income population, Viva Favela also serves as an articulator of local economic development. The portal accomplishes this through its partnership with Estação Futuro (a digital access project of Viva Rio).
In summary, Viva Favela is an indispensable tool for anyone that wants to better understand and improve the current reality of Brazilian society.
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