VIDIGAL: first favela project in Rio de Janeiro

Vidigal's project inauguration day

Arriving in Brazil in 1999, we wanted to challenge the fact of producing art about human rights in the so called dangerous favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

 

In 2001 the first project was built implying  people’s participation in a southern side  favela, above the very chic beach of Ipanema.  After these two long enduring years with multiple difficulties, we built the first project. Then afterward, it became much  easier for INSCRIRE to develop the next series of actions.

Vidigal is located in the South of Rio, on top of a hill, from where one has the most amazing view on the bay. There are 30.000 inhabitants in one of the oldest favela of the city. Sometimes, the city considers this favela as one of the least dangerous, some other moments it is impossible to enter, because a war is taking place; it all dépends !

The city urban program, favela bairro, has  improved  60% of the infrastructure of the area.

 

Many thanks to Laura Taves, Katia de Radiguè, the Pirmez familly, the French Consulate, Marc Pottier et many volonteers

Video : the way to the Human Rights - O caminho dos direitos humanos- Le chemin

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now the population is using the project as a public theatre and a meeting place
Our project in Vidigal, is implimented onto a newly created public plazza at the entrance of the favela: it contains elements such as a map of the site,  philosophical texts and poems mixed with the human rights, to encourage the population to exchange ideas around the thematics.

project first proposals to the community and to the city urban department.

 

« When I arrived in Rio in 1999, I realized that on there were no favelas’ map on the city map. 2,5 million people live in Rio’s favelas without being on the city map....
I spent  two months visiting Rio’s favelas. After a time of understanding, researches and descoveries, I concluded that a Human Rights project should be developped as a promenade through the  city going from one place to the next. Then after forming a team, we explained our ideas to the inhabitants, in their community association. We entered into many houses and talked to the people about their lifes. We explained them what could be done with an artistic project. They were all enchanted so we start working designing and fundraising… ».  F. Schein

 

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