© Favela Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Flickr / penguinpanini

UNESCO Brasilia Office, in partnership with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Cultural and Social Foundations of Itaú, AfroReggae and CUFA, is conducting a research to study forms of sociabilitiy that remain invisible and underground within mainstream society.

The Seminar will launch, present and disseminate a research conducted by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), in partnership with UNESCO, universities, local communities, the Globo TV Network and the charitable foundations of Itaú Bank, to identify patterns of sociability and social regeneration in Rio de Janeiro's favelas (slums).

It explores how communities exposed to poverty, crime and violence, are able to resist exclusion and produce positive outcomes. The research focused on the work developed by local cultural NGOs – Afro Reggae and CUFA – that use the arts, sport, cultural identity and civic engagement to rewrite favela environments and establish lines of communication and exchange between marginalized communities and mainstream society.

Each stage of the project was discussed by all partners, involving a participatory methodology that consulted stakeholders throughout the process.