Maracanã Village Urban Indigenous Resistance Takes Center Stage at Rio 2025 Carnival, Despite Threats of Forced Eviction and Carnival Fire
Even After the Fire, Unidos de Bangu Brings Carnival Theme `Maraka’anandê Ancestral Resistance` to the Sambadrome
In Aldeia Maracanã (Maracanã Village), an indigenous village located next to the iconic soccer stadium of the same name, numerous efforts have been underway since 2006 to resist the pressures of real estate speculation, particularly during preparations for mega-events such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics. Currently, 14 families live in the village, which is also home to the Maracanã Village Multiethnic Indigenous University (UIPAM). Additionally, the village serves as a refuge for indigenous peoples from other regions of the country, who consider it their home in Rio de Janeiro. Since 2024, the threat of forced eviction has resurfaced with a repossession order issued by the Federal Regional Court of the Second Region. Once again, the fate of the only indigenous village in the heart of Rio remains uncertain.
Before the mega sporting events held in Rio in 2014 and 2016, Maracanã Village was little known. The real estate speculation driven by these events made the community a target for forced evictions. In 2012, the state government made plans to expand the parking lot in the area. In 2013, with the support of the National Force, officers from the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) and the Military Police’s Shock Battalion stormed the building that once housed the Indigenous Museum and removed the indigenous people living there, temporarily bringing an end to the years of work carried out by residents and allies leading resistance efforts since 2006.
Rare books were burned, and years of work were destroyed with extreme brutality. That same year, a group of indigenous people who lived in the village accepted then-Governor Sérgio Cabral’s proposal to renovate the former building of the Indigenous Museum and moved into a housing complex under the Minha Casa Minha Vida federal housing program. However, not all indigenous residents accepted this offer. For them, the struggle and resistance to remain in their territory continued.
In a sense, by proposing the renovation of the former Indigenous Museum building without ever carrying it out, the government continued its systemic erasure of indigenous people, as it neither took action nor mentioned any intention of recognizing Maracanã Village as indigenous territory. Now, over a decade later, this remains the reality for the people of different ethnic groups living there, who rely on the solidarity of students, researchers, volunteers, and human rights advocacy groups that have been supporting initiatives in the territory.
That was until June 2024, when Judge José Arthur Diniz Borges, from the 8th Federal Court of Rio de Janeiro, ordered the repossession of the land where the former Indigenous Museum once stood, next to the Maracanã sports complex, returning it to the State. The museum, now a dilapidated building on a vast piece of land, has been occupied for years by indigenous families from different ethnic groups who call the area Maracanã Village. According to attorney Arão da Providência, who represents the indigenous people, the site has been occupied by representatives of native peoples since 2006, with authorization from the federal government, which previously owned the property.
Attorney Arão da Providência states that the recent court ruling is the enforcement of a years-old sentence. However, he claims that there are inconsistencies in the case, which is why he has appealed to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) and the National Justice Council (CNJ). He argues that one of the key issues is the requirement to notify all 23 indigenous leaders who lived in the area in 2013, which did not happen; many are no longer in Maracanã Village. He also points out that, in the 2013 case, the State had only requested the repossession of part of the land, around 1,500 square meters, and is now seeking possession of the entire 14,300-square-meter area encompassing Maracanã Village.
In an official statement, the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro stated that it “is awaiting the deadline set by the court to take the necessary measures for the repossession of the property.”
Photo: A banner displaying the Unidos de Bangu samba school’s 2025 carnival theme during a street rehearsal in Largo de Bangu, in Rio’s West Zone. Despite a fire at a clothing factory that destroyed 60% of its costumes, the samba school will take to the Sambadrome the history and resistance of Aldeia Maracanã, a living symbol of indigenous culture and identity in Rio de Janeiro. Source: Social Media.
| Themes |
| • Accompanying social processes • Destruction of habitat • Displacement • Forced evictions • Indigenous peoples • Local • Public policies |
