MUCRAIB: law of patrimony
Viviane Kiss Ivanicska

Text sent to the group list Rede do 3° Setor on 06/10/2005
http://br.groups.yahoo.com/group/3setor

“Dr. Adami,

I believe I have already called your attention to the over 10-year struggle of our entity, the Associação Beneficente e Cultura Afro-Brasileira Filhos da Terra, in relation to MUCRAIB Cultural and Religious African-Brazilian Museum and Memorial, for such a museum preserving Afro-Brazilian cultural and religious traditions to be established on the old Engenho Velho coffee plantation.

We already have some certificates, we have spoken to politicians regarding our intentions and today we have legal backing through the initiatives of then city council member Marcelo Dias and since a few years ago of Luis Paulo Correa da Rocha, the latter in constant touch with us and awaiting formation of a new Group to be organized in order to get involved in this fight to rescue the Mata Machado property to house the Afro-Brazilian Museum and Memorial.

The building, from all appearances, did not belong to anyone from 1930 to 2000. However, our struggle called the attention of CONAB, current owner of the property donated to it by the Ministry of Agriculture, as reported at the time by Mr. Campeão (of the Ministry’s legal department), which now intends to transfer/assign/donate the property to the Medical Association instead of to an Afro-Brazilian entity or purpose as the law determines (since all indications are that the property on Av.Maracanã/Mata Machado was part of the former Engenho Novo coffee plantation, the second such plantation in Rio de Janeiro to use slave labor.

Since the old Group, myself included, is nearing exhaustion regarding this fight, we are thinking of seeking new allies to give renewed vigor to the struggle to save this property for those who are entitled to it.

We hope you will be interested, since we once even managed to gain the sympathy of IPHAM-RJ through Ms. Pessoto, although after some time she stopped returning our constant appeals and contacts.

We have become more animated and thankful for the interest of Leila, who along with her entity appears to have volunteer professionals who can reassess the condition of the building, a veritable work of art left to the elements in a state of decrepitude.

This appears to be the most suitable destiny to our inert authorities. They think it’s better to demolish it, or give it to the Medical Association, than deliver it to an Afro-Brazilian entity or working group.

Since such a precious building was even once used as a produce storehouse, there can be no doubt, unfortunately, among the friends who were there on the occasion, that the authorities don’t want to make any official pronouncement.

We hope you will be interested in this fight. This building WOULD BE/WILL BE a true monument to Africanness in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

With the surrounding traffic flow and its location, it would certainly be a victory of the “resistance of Afro-Brazilian culture,” a benchmark, a work to be admired, appreciated and respected, for this imposing edifice to house the Museum and perhaps the Nelson Mandela Foundation in RJ.

I hope you and your group also think this way.

The Museum has been officially registered since 1994, and is currently awaiting renewal of its executive board for conformity with the requirements of the new legislation.

I await your position on the matter.

Thank you,

Viviane Kiss Ivanicska"