A cidade por entre as páginas do jornal fala roça: sobre fazer comunicação “de favela” e formas de ser jovem na Rocinha

Abstract

This thesis is an ethnographic study on the social communication process of the newspaper Fala Roça, an information vehicle created by young residents of Rocinha, a well-known favela in the southern part of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 2012, as part of the activities of a social project, the newspaper remains active, circulating in print and online; it was formalized as a communication association and operates in the interfaces between professional journalism and community activities. Its goals are linked to the right to communication, to speak for "the residents" and “from the favela to the world". Collaboratively, the study followed this media between 2014 and 2018, focusing on the analysis of the printed version and the points of view of its communicators. The main objective was to get to know how Fala Roça builds its specific way of communicating and appropriates the so-called community communication, in the context of the growing media production coming from the favelas and outskirts of the city. Among the singularities of the vehicle, we highlight its constitution as a place of multiple encounters - between local memories/traditions and new features concerning youth pathways of its creators. A cross analysis of reports from Fala Roça and two old local periodicals (Tagarela and Rocinha Notícias) allowed us to notice connections with old favela knowledge; on the other hand, it incorporates elements from the biographies of the members, such as access to higher education and professional choices related to Social Communication. This case study also highlighted social scenarios that had an effect on the trajectory of the newspaper, such as state policies for young people and policies related to public security - especially the Pacifying Police Units. Self-defined as "community communication", "favela communication", among other expressions, the experience of Fala Roça escapes conceptual predefinitions about these practices, establishing a hybrid discourse. Based on Michel Foucault's theoretical contribution on discourse, we analyze tensions related to this communicative process, such as the militarization of the favela and the grammar of entrepreneurship. The methodology of the study encompassed ethnographic fieldwork, life history interviews, documentary analysis, photography as a research tool, and social cartography.