Rio de Janeiro's port area is currently undergoing one of its greatest transformations, awarding a new meaning to the city. In this process, Morro da Conceição was announced as historic site of Portuguese origin, increasingly attracting more affluent residents.In A utopia da Pequena África? (The utopia of Little Africa) ??- the book FGV Press will launch tomorrow - the author, Roberta Sampaio Guimarães, analyzes the reality of Morro da Conceição and the conflicts that occurred during the process of revitalizing this area, considering the urban drama caused by urban intervention and local mobilization of a culture and ethnic identity based on the African ancestry concept.Little Africa is a spatial concept based on some territorial landmarks, not exactly a well-defined physical space. Therefore, analytically, it is more correct to think that there is a ?Little Africa tradition?, but different groups and individuals who recognize and identify themselves with the culture and memory that the term Little Africa evokes. And since this evocation is neither fixed nor consensual, its symbolic trajectory remains open, explained Roberta.Also according to her, the challenge of interfering in the urban planning of the spaces of the Port Region is linked to the understanding of the different dynamics, needs and desires of its users, memories and cultures - which is not easy, neither for government nor for its inhabitants. Each one of them puts into motion different points of view to often refer to the same spaces. The conflicts that arise from this multiplicity are daily and inevitable, but government intervention in economic and tourist empowerment can increase tensions and also cause the entry of new social actors and new cultural practices, she said.The release of A utopia da Pequena África is open to the public and will take place on May 22, at Travessa Botafogo, at 7 pm.Please click here and go to the interview with the author at FGV Press' blog (in Portuguese).