Brazil’s Great Cultural LossA two-hundred year old collection of thousands of years of history up in

By Marcello Garcia - Sep 25, 2018 Across the ten thousand years of human history and the endless struggles and achievements that occur, humanity often leaves reminders of those events and the cultures that fostered them. These reminders take the form of historical artifacts that, for some long-gone civilizations, are the only indication of their existence. Only in relatively recent history has the preservation of such artifacts been a priority through museums. On the night of September 2nd, a fire ravaged Brazil’s 200 year old National Museum that harbored thousands of years of human and natural history. This is an enormous loss for Brazil, both for researchers and locals who frequented the museum. Lost in the fire were approximately 20 million artifacts, ranging from ancient dinosaur fossils to Egyptian mummies. The plant and insect fossils in particular were a hard-hitting loss for the scientific community, as such specimens provide valuable insight into ancient biological history. With these specimens also burned the mounds of doctorate-level research that were being conducted at the museum. Among those many lost was a human fossil nicknamed Luzia, the skull and bones of a woman dated at 11,500 years old. They are the oldest human remains in Brazil, making it invaluable to anthropological research, particularly of humans in the Americas. This was one of the more notable displays in the museum, attracting visitors of both curious and scientific interest. Further adding to the plethora of human history displays were the tribal items once belonging to the many indigenous South American cultures, including burial urns and tribal masks. For many of these cultures, the artifacts in the museum were the only remaining traces left of their civilizations. With the fire went the last known creations of these people. While no cause of the fire has been determined, many professors and researchers have placed blamed on the Brazilian government’s apathy to preserve their history. Even before the events of the fire, there had been numerous complaints of the museum’s lack of a fire-suppression system, from exposed wiring to the lack of sprinklers. Such complaints date back to the 1950s, citing budget cuts and lack of maintenance. The observed imminence of the fire and the lack of action to solve these maintenance problems continues to fan more flames under the political coals that the government treads on. Beyond the material loss of historical artifacts is the loss of a people’s culture. The museum was a place of great fondness for the locals, a representation of their pride. Fervent outrage and sorrow were all too present during the incident, as onlookers sobbed at the sight with little solace as the former imperial palace was consumed by unforgiving flames. “I just saw a piece of my history, the house of the Brazilian Empire on fire, becoming destroyed. I see the history of my country becoming ashes. It has no price,” says one witness of the tragedy. Now the nation stands restlessly in mourning, having taken to the streets around the museum in energized protest, accusing the government’s negligence for the loss of countless artifacts. For the governing body, this is only another instance of a disaster in the midst of corruption and economic struggles that produce contempt in the people. While nothing can compromise for this tragedy, French and Egyptian officials have provided support through financial aid to restore the museum. Of course, with the loss of 90% of the museum’s artifacts, no quantity of money will bring those artifacts back, nor will it secure a posterity to match the museum’s previous significance. Though In the pursuit of knowledge and the preservation of history, we as a people can sympathize for the desire to remember who were once were and the world that surrounded us. So long as that desire and the memories of history are retained, we can hold a satisfaction in knowing that nothing is ever truly lost until it is forgotten.