Note in Defense of Brazil´S Archaeological Heritage
NOTE IN DEFENSE OF BRAZIL´S ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE The Society for Brazilian Archeology (SAB) is a private, non-profit, civil association of scientific nature of 40 years, which aims to bring together archaeologists and other specialists dedicated to teaching, researching and practicing archeology and related fields, and to promote knowledge and dissemination of subjects related to archaeology and archaeological heritage. This Friday (05/22), the Society followed the manifestations of the President of the Republic, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, the Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, and the Minister of Education, Abraham Weintraub, during the ministerial meeting held on April 22, 2020 – the very day Brazil was celebrating 520 years of “being discovered” by Portugal –, and was perplexed, especially by manifestations regarding Brazilian Archaeological Heritage. The President of the Republic mentioned archaeological research conducted in compliance of environmental review and cultural resources in such a manner that he demonstrated a complete lack of knowledge about the processes and absolutely no concern about the cultural heritage left by the diverse societies that inhabited the land that we now call Brazil. According to the President “IPHAN stops any construction project in Brazil, as Luciano Hang's was stopped. When there is only a petrified poop of an Indian, they stop the construction, darn it!”. The National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN), an independent federal agency, now located within the Ministry of Tourism, is responsible for the preservation of the Brazilian Cultural Heritage and, thus, for the archaeological heritage. IPHAN is responsible for protecting and advocating for the country's cultural assets, ensuring their permanence, visibility, and availability for present and future generations.
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