Brasília, June 9, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - "The greatest guardian of a city is its population." This phrase by Brazilian designer, Aloísio Magalhães, summarizes the obligation of Brazilian citizens: To care for the historical patrimony is to care for one's own existence. The phrase, recalled by the architect, Salma Saddi, superintendent of the Institute of National Historic and Artistic Patrimony (Iphan) in Goiás, indicates that there can be no national memory without preservation of the patrimony.
In the city of Goiás, former capital of the state, visitors are surrounded by their heritage. The municipality was founded by the explorer, Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva, in 1727, and nearly three centuries later, in December, 2001, was recognized by Unesco as part of the World Historical Patrimony. Despite all the affection displayed by residents, two weeks after receiving the title the city experienced a terrible nightmare. A flood inundated the streets of the city, swept away an historical bridge, and destroyed the old houses close to the banks of the Rio Vermelho ("Red River").
130 houses belonging to the patrimony, which consists of 1.200 buildings registered by the Iphan, of which 800 are recognized by Unesco, were affected. "It was a tragedy. 15 houses were a total loss, and the rest had to be completely restored," the superintendent explains.
CORA CORALINA
The biggest attraction in the city of Goiás, the house of the writer Cora Coralina, was one of the buildings that suffered the greatest damage from the flood. The house is located alongside the river, and the only reason it was not totally destroyed is because a house in front cushioned the violence of the waters. "Incredible as it seems, it suffered less; the damage was partial. The museum area was damaged, but the structure was not harmed, and we were able to restore it," Saddi said.
The federal, state, and municipal governments, together with the Iphan and the non-governmental organization Cora's House, carried out the work of cleaning the houses and recycling all the material displaced by the water. The architect recalls that preservation of the patrimony is everybody's responsibility, governmental and non-governmental organizations alike.
She points out that, without a partnership effort, nobody can get anywhere. "A quality job within a historical center requires non-governmental organizations, civil society, and governments to join in the execution, what we call shared management," she underscores. And education about the patrimony plays a fundamental role in this context. "The citizen must feel part of this historical process, feel that this is his (her) city. It is not the historical center alone that is important; it is the city, which, like any other one, has a history to preserve," remarks the architect, for whom "it is better to educate than to give formal notice, but it is necessary for us to have the public authorities understanding and supporting these functions, too."
The historical center of the city was completely restored, according to Saddi, but near the riverbed, the civil defense agency condemned some irregular constructions that could interfere with the water's flow in the case of another flood. For the architect, if the city wants to prevent a new catastrophe, it must combine three steps: the reforestation of the banks of the Rio Vermelho, the creation of an educational project to raise people's consciousness not to dump trash in the river, and the clearing of the area condemned by the civil defense. "Everything to help the water flow in case of rains," the Iphan superintendent explains.
Reporter: Marina Domingos
Translator: David Silberstein
