The destruction of the National Museum at Quinta da Boa Vista in Rio de Janeiro cannot go unnoticed. This tragedy must serve as a cry of "enough!" against the abandonment, neglect, and destruction of the nation's memory. The unfortunate reality is that the situation of the National Museum is not unique. Similar tragedies could happen again.
The values that define us as a society cannot turn to ashes like the National Museum. We call upon the State, architects and urban planners, universities, intellectuals, professional associations, and ultimately, Brazilian society as a whole to mobilize.
This "enough!" must come from all of society—from students to the President of the Republic.
It is immediately necessary to identify other heritage assets at risk—including historic cities—and provide the resources for their restoration and maintenance. To achieve this, action is required on two fronts: financial and human resources.
Existing Treasury funds along with public and private financing for the cultural sector—derived from incentive laws—are insufficient. Priorities rarely include cultural heritage, resulting in nothing more than isolated actions. We must move forward by developing a national multi-year plan, linked to a dedicated fund, that prioritizes eliminating the risks of fire, collapse, and flooding, thereby ensuring both the operation and public enjoyment of our heritage.
Qualified professionals are also needed. For years, we have witnessed, for example, the depletion of the technical staff at agencies such as IPHAN (National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage)—an issue that has only recently begun to be addressed.
Fulfilling the historic commitment of architects and urban planners to heritage preservation, the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil (CAU/BR) and the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB) presented proposals in July in an "Open Letter from Architects and Urban Planners to Candidates in the 2018 Elections." In the medium term, these proposals would guarantee the sustainability of public policy for the sector.
We are all outraged, and we must all collaborate.
This article was written by CAU/BR. The translation is powered by AI.
