THE REMOVAL OF CONTROVERSIAL HISTORICAL MONUMENTS AND THE RIGHT TO MEMORY IN BRAZIL

Abstract

This article deals with social demands to remove historical monuments related to controversial political figures in Brazil, especially those who supported the slave and colonialist system. Between May and June 2020, after an outbreak of anti-racist protests associated with the Black Lives Matter Movement, a wave of removal and destruction of historical monuments hit countries such as the United States, England, Belgium and Portugal. Although similar acts of depredation didn't occur in Brazil during that period, people promoted a fierce discussion about memory, history and the need for intervention in the controversial monuments on social media. Later, in July 2021, the statue of the pioneer Manuel de Borba Gato was burned in São Paulo, a fact that reopened this debate and had national repercussions. In the scenario described, taking into account the fundamental right to memory and the duty to preserve cultural heritage, it is relevant to understand how the Brazilian legal system would react to such demands and their main objections if they were inflamed in the country again. Thus, the article aims to differentiate the collective memory of history by using bibliographical notes, besides it highlights the dispute between groups for the social representations contained in the sites of memory. Finally, it presents solutions mentioned in bills and concludes that popular participation is indispensable in the decision-making process.