The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) scheduled for Friday (19) an inspection at the Saracura Archaeological Site, at the construction site of one of the future subway stations of the Orange Line, in the central region of São Paulo. The expert’s visit was reported to the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) by attorney Gustavo Torres Soares as part of the inquiry that investigates possible irregularities in the preservation of archaeological remains at the site. Last week, Iphan issued an opinion recommending that archaeological excavations in the area, where Quilombo Saracura used to be located, in the current Bixiga neighborhood, remain paralyzed. According to the opinion, traces were found that could be artifacts used in ceremonies and activities of religions of African origin. In February of this year, after a flood during the rainy season, Iphan recommended the suspension of archaeological work on the site. The archaeological site was identified in April 2022, when work on the future Station 14 Bis had already begun. The institute also asked for a statement from the Palmares Foundation and the ministries of Culture, Racial Equality and Human Rights and Citizenship to assess the overall materiality and historical and cultural context of the site. After these responses, IPHAN must decide whether to maintain or revoke the suspension of archaeological work. Risks For Luciana Araújo, a member of the Mobiliza Saracura Vai-Vai movement, the MPF’s expertise will make it possible to assess whether there was any damage to the archaeological heritage during the station’s construction works. “Is it really that nothing was destroyed? That’s the question the community has been asking for almost a year now. The expertise that the Federal Public Ministry will be able to clarify this. But it is a concern that the community has always had,” she said. The concern arises from the way in which the work was licensed. “It’s a process that started wrong, with the licensing of the work in spite of the archaeological research”, she added. No research Based on the environmental licensing documents, the Agência Brasil report showed that the history of the Bixiga neighborhood, which was home to Quilombo Saracura, was ignored. The construction of the subway station displaced the Vai-Vai Samba School, founded by descendants of the quilombolas. The school itself was, according to Luciana, a sacred territory, as it had settlements dedicated to orixás. The Bixiga and Liberdade regions, also with a history linked to the black population of São Paulo, were the only points on the Orange Line route where no prior archaeological studies were carried out. The Move São Paulo concessionaire, at the time responsible for the works, requested, in 2020, Iphan to waive studies in these locations. Thus, the story of Quilombo Saracura was only mentioned in the licensing process after the Vai-Vai Samba School was removed from the site for the start of works. In the assessment of Mobiliza Saracura Vai-Vai, there was little interest from the state government and private companies involved in preserving the history of black populations. “Lack of political will evidenced by the concessionaire and the state government in this period to carry out the research with the rigor it should have”, highlighted Luciana. Uni Line In July 2020, Move São Paulo transferred the contract for the construction of the Orange Line to the Linha Uni concessionaire, which has the Spanish group Acciona as its largest shareholder, in addition to the French investment bank Société Générale and the French fund Stoa. The termination of the contract with Move happened after the concessionaire delayed the works schedule. The concessionaire faced difficulties in raising funds from the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) due to the convictions suffered by the company’s controlling group, Odebrecht, in corruption proceedings from Operation Lava Jato. Join and wait for response.
Agência Brasil
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