Box 43 at the Mestre Dezinho Crafts Center, in Teresina, is the target of a dispute between artisans who have worked there for over 40 years and the Government of Piauí. The space houses the so-called "Dictatorship Basement", used as a dungeon, cell and place of torture for political prisoners during the military regime. Now, the state intends to transform the property into the Memorial of Resistance and Democracy.
The central building is currently undergoing revitalization and modernization works. The dispute over the box is monitored by the Public Ministry of the State of Piauí (MPPI), which is trying to mediate an agreement between the parties. To date, however, there has been no consensus.
The artisans question the proposal presented by the state government and say they do not have sufficient legal guarantees to leave the property. The State Secretariat for Culture (Secult) maintains that the resumption of the space is necessary to preserve the building's historical and archaeological heritage.
According to the Public Ministry of the State of Piauí (MPPI), two conciliation hearings were held between the parties in April this year, but ended without an agreement.
Licensee Conceição Morais has worked at the site for over 40 years alongside her husband, Carlos Oliveira. She told g1 that the couple participated in the mobilization that guaranteed artisans a space to produce and sell their work.
"When we arrived in this space to work, we didn't know what had happened here. It was a space that people didn't want, but no one knew why", he reported.
Over the years, Conceição began to research the history of the property. According to her, the work included the participation of researchers from the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI) and contributed to the archaeological recognition of the site.
In addition to artisanal production, the space hosts cultural activities, workshops, book launches and tourist orientation actions, according to the permission holder.
Conceição also criticizes the way in which the process of removing permit holders has been conducted. On Monday (9), she recorded a video showing an approach with the presence of military police at the scene.
The artisan states that she does not intend to leave the space and defends the participation of permission holders in the memorial project. “We fight here to preserve history, so that future generations know what happened,” he declared.
In a video published on Tuesday (10), the Secretary of State for Culture, Rodrigo Amorim, stated that the ministry has been negotiating for around two years the departure of Carlos Oliveira to facilitate the implementation of the Memorial of Resistance and Democracy.
"The Secretary of State for Culture has been dealing with and talking to Mr. Carlos so that we could enter this area and create the memorial", he stated.
According to Rodrigo Amorim, the proposal foresees the transfer of permission holders to a larger box and the hiring of Carlos Oliveira as a guide for the future memorial. “Inside the museum, there would also be a space in his honor,” he declared.
The secretary also stated that the department tried to reach an agreement during meetings and hearings held at the Public Ministry, but negotiations did not progress. “Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful and had to take this to the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” he said.
Rodrigo Amorim also defended the resumption of the space as he considered it necessary to preserve the property's historical and archaeological heritage. “It is the duty of the Secretariat and the Government to protect and preserve so that there is no depredation and that nothing is removed from the site”, he stated.
According to the Public Ministry, a technical opinion considered the resumption of the space by the state government to be legal, but recommended conditions for the artisans to leave.
Among the recommendations are the offer of an equivalent box, protection measures for elderly permit holders and the inclusion of workers in the memorial project.
The agency also reported that it contacted the Department of Culture to update information about the case, but had not received a response until the release of the note.
The Porão da Ditadura was registered as an archaeological site in May this year, according to anthropologist Daniel Terto, deputy head of the Technical Division of the Superintendence of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute in Piauí (Iphan-PI). As a result, the site became protected by federal legislation protecting archaeological heritage.
"In July, IPHAN ordered the partial halt to interventions that could compromise the archaeological site, making new interventions subject to the Institute's technical assessment and necessary studies. Any intervention that could affect the site must be previously submitted to IPHAN," he told g1.
"This way, if irregular works or risks to their integrity are identified, the population will be able to communicate the fact to the Institute through a complaint", he added.
According to Daniel Terto, since Iphan's determination, no changes have been identified at the site, and the basement remains preserved.
