Sítio de Memória Museum is recognized as a Mercosur heritage site

The Ministers of Culture of Mercosur recognized, this Friday (2), the Museum Sítio de Memória Esma (Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada) as cultural heritage of Mercosur. Approval took place during the 54th Meeting of Ministers of Culture of Mercosur, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The institution seeks to preserve the memory of victims and promote awareness of human rights violations that occurred during the military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983). According to the Ministry of Culture, Esma’s recognition as a Mercosur heritage site had a contribution from the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan). The news was awaited by the Argentines. Repercussion The Minister of Culture of Brazil, Margareth Menezes (photo), was among the authorities who delivered the certificate, visiting the facilities of the Museu Sítio de Memória Esma. She said that Brazil also needs to have a memorial about the dictatorial period experienced by the country. “We also went through this issue of dictatorship and torture in Brazil and this is a memory that is still very dear to us, as we are also looking for actions of the magnitude of having a memorial. [O objetivo é] that is reflected in the next generations and that even for our generation to also reflect on the right to life, freedom and democracy”, he said. She highlighted that, in the Brazilian entourage traveling to Buenos Aires, is the president of the National Arts Foundation (Funarte), Maria Marighella, daughter of the Bahian communist guerrilla and former congressman, Carlos Marighella, killed in 1969 after joining the armed struggle against the military dictatorship. “This action by Mercosur strengthens the call for attention from all of us, from Latin America, and also from the world. Because we don’t want any more installations of power, where freedom of expression and freedom of ideas are condemned, where torture is the restriction of the word, which is serious, “she stressed. The president of Funarte, Maria Marighella, said she was thrilled with the approval of Esma as Mercosur Cultural Heritage, as it is a place of memory for Argentine victims of the dictatorship in the neighboring country. Memory “It is with great emotion that we arrive at this place of memory, in this space that is now a cultural space of Mercosur. We know that memory is the right of a people, it refounds dreams and, with the strength of culture, we will found this Brazil, this Latin America of justice and equality of tomorrow”, she added. The Minister of Human Rights of Argentina, Horacio Pietragalla Corti, said that this was the first building dedicated to the memory of victims of Argentine repression. “We understand Esma [como um lugar] emblematic of what the military dictatorship was not only for Argentina but also for the region. When we started to think with the authorities about the recognition of the museum, we understood that this is an award for Argentina. It is for all of Latin America and for the more than 300,000 prisoners and disappeared people throughout the great homeland. So, it is a prize for the fight, for resistance, for that family member who still fights for justice, for memory and for the truth”, he explained. The Argentine Minister of Culture, Tristán Bauer, thanked the presence of the Minister of Culture of Brazil and the other Ministers of Culture of Mercosur for having voted in favor of granting the certificate of cultural heritage of the block of South American countries to the Sítio de Memória Museum . “This is a humanitarian act and good for humanity. And it is important for these stories never to be repeated”, he stressed. Esma Esma was a military institution until 1983, when democracy returned to the country. The site was recognized as one of the main clandestine centers for the detention, torture, disappearance and extermination of those persecuted by the Argentine military regime. In 2004, the government of former President Cristina Kirchner transformed the building into a memory space and museum and called it “Espacio para la Memoria y para la Promoción y Defensa de los Derechos Human” or Museu Sítio de Memória Esma.

Agência Brasil