The role of the past and memory in the construction of the present was at the heart of the discussions at the IX National Seminar, promoted by the Unicamp Memory Center (CMU), which took place this week at the Faculty of Education (FE). In the last conference of the event, this Wednesday (31), the Swiss philosopher, professor at the Pontifical University of São Paulo (PUS-SP) and associate professor at Unicamp, Jeanne Marie Gagnebin, was emphatic in stating that it is necessary to reflect on the period of the Brazilian military dictatorship and how it is being updated today. “The past continues to pass through our lives. We have to recognize this and take care of it. Don’t pretend it didn’t happen, as is done a lot in Brazil,” she said.
in your lecture The present of the past, addressed the issue of amnesty, highlighting its manipulation of public memory. According to Gagnebin, amnesty must be understood as a short-term action, capable of restoring the minimum conditions for the resumption of life in common, but is unable to bring any long-term benefit. “To the prohibition of all legal action, by the prohibition of the persecution of criminals, is added the prohibition of evoking the facts themselves regarding their criminal qualification. It therefore becomes a true institutional amnesia, which leads to pretending that an event did not happen,” he stated.
According to André Paulilo, director of the CMU, the Seminar had participants from all over the country, with works that deepened the debates on local history, identities and diversity. “We had very relevant debates about memory, the relationship between the present and the past and the issue of cultural identity”, pointed out Paulilo, highlighting lectures by professors Izabel Marson and Marta Rovai. For the CMU director, much of the richness of the event was in the 15 working groups active over the three days.
Digital Platform
During the closing of the Seminar, the CMU digital platform and the videos of the project "Digitalization and Diffusion of the Adolpho Gordo ensemble" were launched, produced by Rádio e TV (RTV) Unicamp.
The set of parliamentary activities and correspondence of the senator of the old Republic, Adolpho Gordo, was the first documentary collection digitized and made available on the new platform. “Part of his correspondence was with Berta Lutz, in the parliamentary discussion on female suffrage. This part of our collection was named a UNESCO heritage site in December last year”, said Paulilo.
According to the director, the material available represents approximately 2% of our CMU documentary collections. “This means that we still have a lot of work to be done”, explained Paulilo. The project was supported by the notice from the Culture Incentive Program of the State of São Paulo (PROAC-SP), focused on the area of permanent archives.
Next, this Thursday (1), the Cultural Heritage Management Colloquium will be held, focused on cultural projects and public financing of museum collections. “We are going to present the work of organizing the Adolfo Gordo Collection to digitize the material and insert it on the platform”, reported Paulilo.
