When Our Memories Burn - The Aftermath of Rio’s Museum Fire

In 2018, Latin America’s largest collection of natural and scientific history, the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, burned to the ground in a what is now known to have been a wholly preventable fire. Although overshadowed at the time by the destruction of Notre Dame , which suffered the same fate, director Marta Miskaryan became fascinated by this tragedy which has had a traumatic effect on the people of Rio, not only wiping the building from the map, but also taking with it generations of emotional attachment and fond memories.

Marta tells us more about her new film on the subject, “Arquivo”, exploring some of the different conversations that have been subject to public scrutiny and discussion since the fire.

“Arquivo” is being screened at the upcoming CineShots Short Film Festival in Streatham, South London, on the 3rd of March 2020. Get your tickets here for a chance to see Marta’s film alongside many others.

When historical buildings are destroyed, we face the irreversible loss of places that symbolise our society’s shared history. Events such as the Notre Dame fire in Paris affect millions of people around the world and are breaking news stories – in turn gathering enormous donations to repair the damage. But in Europe, not all devastating fires receive the same amount of media coverage, let alone financial support.

Brazil’s oldest scientific institution, the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, lost most of its 20-million-piece archive on the night of 3rd September 2018, the largest scientific and natural history collection in Latin America. The building itself also carried huge cultural importance, having served as the residency of the imperial family in the 19th century.

At the time, the limited news coverage focused on the precious items damaged or destroyed by the fire – including bespoke indigenous artefacts, minerals, fossils and animal remains. But the fire left a much deeper wound in Brazilian society, its impact extending far beyond the historical and material. It took away a space that everyone in Rio visited as a child – the only museum accessible to local communities and the lower class.

The fire took place during an extremely tense time – just before the election of the controversial Jair Bolsonaro. In a divided and confused society, the loss of a place that held a collective memory was another reason to fear for the future. People of all ages came to protest and many even blamed the authorities for enabling the disaster. Tough questions went unanswered - what had caused the fire and who was responsible for it? What was being initiated to recover from the damage?

As a documentary filmmaker, I couldn’t resist the urge to research this subject. Through this story, I started to uncover conflicts, painful truths and the human impact of this loss. I was continually drawn to make the journey that led me to cross the ocean and walk amongst the ashes of this treasure house.

It later emerged that the day after the disastrous event, a group of researchers from the museum started a rescue mission to save as much of the archive as possible. They gathered the inner strength to return to the building and take on a physically and emotionally draining job on a completely voluntary basis. What was most devastating, is that many of them had spent their professional careers taking care of the collections with extremely limited resources. One of our contributors Sérgio Alex Azevedo, a researcher, archaeologist and previous director of the museum, described the experience with a powerful metaphor:

‘It’s like a damaged blood vessel that connects to your heart. When it stops functioning, the body compensates with another one.’

In addition to the psychological trauma, researchers were going through a judicial investigation into the cause of the fire. The sensitivity of the subject made it almost impossible for our crew to gain access to the site and speak with the scientists. The outcome, however, was more powerful than we could ever have imagined. When we finally received permission to enter the museum, the image that had been built up in my mind came to life. I heard myself release an involuntary gasp.

Inside the burnt museum site, it was surprisingly calm and peaceful. The ceiling of the building had collapsed, revealing chunks of the bright blue sky through the roof’s carcass. As the camera rolled, we observed a few of the researchers walking around piles of debris in what used to be an Egyptology room. The search for artefacts amongst the residue was a powerful scene of despair, hope, dedication and passion to save not only objects, but memories: of children’s visits, curator’s gems and links to ancient civilisations. The sense that they were doing this not just for themselves but for the greater good of their nation was almost tangible.

Conversations with multiple members of the team made me think about museums and how they embody the human sentiment of collecting and preserving ‘things’. They are places that carry objects from the past and help us connect with our collective history. Those artefacts are the physical embodiment of a historical narrative and we all carry the responsibility of maintaining them for future generations.

Paleontologist, archaeologist, vice-coordinator of the rescue operation, Luciana Carvalho.

The election of Bolsonaro has resulted in the termination of the Brazilian Ministry of Culture and the privatisation of other public institutions. In answer to the question of what caused the fire – we’re told that it came as a result of a short circuit in the air conditioning system. The more probable answer is neglect – years and years of budget cuts that eventually led to a disaster. In most countries around the world, museums and public institutions don’t receive enough funding to sustain an acceptable level of maintenance. Not nearly enough as Notre Dame.

So far, the rescue mission has been carried out with donations and the perseverance of the scientists, but the government has shown very little initiative in response to the damage. My most touching moment during filming was meeting a little boy who remembered his visits to the museum and simply wanted to know when it would reopen. Regrettably, it seems he and the rest of us will have to wait for some time before that happens.

“Arquivo” is being screened at the upcoming CineShots Short Film Festival in Streatham, South London, on the 3rd of March 2020.

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