Rio somos nós! The Community Museums of Rio de Janeiro

We have launched the Let's Take a Trip around the World (Démosle la Vuelta al Mundo) series. This will consist of at least seven exhibitions or consecutive stops through the three years of the fifth centenary. The first stop will be located where Magellan's expedition began in America toward the end of 1519.

The Museu das Remoções is an open-air community museum located in Vila Autódromo.

We began in 2016 as part of the resistance against the urban politics of the Olympics, which were held in Rio that year. The museum aims to raise awareness of the story of Vila Autódromo to inspire other communities to fight against displacement.

Those of us living in the neighborhood conduct guided tours along a route marked with 22 points of memory—significant places in our story—denoted by sculptures made from the rubble left behind after the demolitions.

Sepetiba neighborhood
"Nosso museu é lugar de memória viva!"

The Ecomuseu de Sepetiba began in 2008 as an expression of a movement started by the residents of the Sepetiba neighborhood. We were passionate about our local memory and history, and wanted to ensure our community was valued.

Our aim is to research, preserve, decode, appreciate, and share the testimonies of the community and their environment. We work to construct and relay collective memory and sustainable, comprehensive, local development.

Rocinha slum
"Devemos olhar para trás e recuperar nosso pasado!"

The Museu Sankofa Memória e História da Rocinha is a means to exercise citizens' rights through education and social museum curation. It recognizes, rescues, protects, appreciates, and values our natural, historical, cultural, material, and immaterial heritage.

We protect the memory and the rights of those living in the Rocinha slum.

Vila Catiri
"Memória e saber fazer do nordeste do Brasil!"

From the Museu Casa do Bumba Meu Boi em Movimento Raízes de Gericinó, we want to contribute to the social transformation in Vila Catiri through education, art, and popular culture. This concept is embodied in Bumba Meu Boi, a theatrical show from northeast Brazil involving music and dancing, with various characters, including an ox that dies and then comes back to life.

Cantagalo hill
"Moramos dentro de um museu!"

The Museu de Favela is a community NGO established by residents of the Pavão, Pavãozinho, and Cantagalo slums. We opened the museum in February 2009 with a large community cultural event. Since then, the populations of the slums have existed within the museum. It was the first museum to be opened inside a slum!

Slums are no longer invisible; we exist, and we are going to show the world the cultural wealth we have to offer. The museum offers two tourist routes: the "Casas-Tela" circuit, an open-air gallery including graffiti by Acme and other urban artists; and "EcoTrilha Caminho do Alto," an ecological circuit.

Cerro Corá slum
"Moradores em movimento!"

The Museu Memórias do Cerro Corá started out in 2013 as a project to collect old photographs of the Cerro Corá slum.

Our mission is to preserve and raise awareness of the knowledge, traditions, and history of our community and its surroundings. We also promote local culture and connections between residents and their life stories through social participation projects. We raise awareness among the residents of their importance within Brazilian society, and specifically in Rio.

Maré neighborhood
"Um museu na favela!"

Founded on May 8, 2006, the Museu da Maré was born from a desire of the residents of the Maré neighborhood to preserve our memories and life stories. Our mission is to overcome the stigmas associated with the slums of Rio.

The museum is not a place to store objects, or hark back to the past, but rather a space for life, dreams, conflicts, and participation. It is a place that allows us to look to the future, while referencing struggles, resistance, and popular triumphs as inspiration.

Neighborhood of São Bento, Duque de Caxias
"Em defesa do patrimônio do município de Duque de Caxias!"

The Museu Vivo do São Bento was founded in 2008. It is an ecomuseum, located in the neighborhood of São Bento in the city of Duque de Caxias, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It started with the recognition of syndicates of education professionals and locals passionate about the cultural heritage of our region.

We are a territorial museum, and we manage various historical sites, such as the archeological site of Sambaqui and the Hacienda of São Bento do Iguaçu.