MEMORIES AND MIGRATIONS

Museums, Education, Diversities & Human Rights

FAFE 5-8 July 2007

Program - Sessions: I-II-III

(Communications)

CONCLUSIONS

Miguel Monteiro

Coordinator of the Emigration and

Communities Museum

Coordinator of the Seminar “Memories & Migrations”

 Tradução de Luisa Langford

“The Emigration & Communities Museum

 in Fafe (Portugal) plays a leading role in

 the network of migration museums, due

 not only to the historic importance of

 migration in Portugal, and the interchanges

 with our partners in France & Brazil……..”

(unesco: Paul de Guchteneire, Carine Rouah)

The extension of the migration phenomenon, both legal and clandestine, the physical and psychological ordeals, even death (violating Human Rights), undergone by migrants, have over the years acquired a historic and social dimension that now takes an outstanding place in the political agenda of the various states.

As these museums are considered privileged places of culture, memory and dialogue in the sphere of Modern and Contemporary History, UNESCO resolved to give them a prominent place in the revealing of their main objectives: to divulge, integrate and heighten an  awareness of migration.

Divulge: contributions made by emigrants to the society that takes them in; the cultural variety and wealth of their birthplaces; the right to a “double belonging”.

Include and integrate: to promote a sense of belonging, allowing the immigrant communities to feel they are an important part of the nation; find common ground and contribute to a national identity;

Build up an understanding of events that made individuals – especially refugees – leave their homeland, thus developing an empathy within the population of the new country.

More generally, break down the stereotypes associated with immigration. (Main objectives defined by UNESCO for the Migration Museums – Meeting in Rome, 2006).

Inspired by this project, the Emigration and Communities Museum requested the participation in this Seminar of the European Association of Migration Museums, the Federation of Portuguese Associations in France, Migration Museums – UNESCO, and the Rui Barbosa Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, thus initiating a coordination of national interests and forming another link in an international web of museums with common objectives.

The representatives of UNESCO, as leaders of the Migration Museums and International Migrations and Cultural Policies movement, are doing their utmost to implement this project with the signing of protocols for scientific, cultural and technological cooperation with the Open University, the Contemporary History Institute of  Porto University, and the Computer Department of Minho University. A protocol of association was also signed with the Pioneer Museum, Toronto – Canada.

Established contacts and policies with the President of the European Association of Migration Museums and the Directeur Général Adjoint – Etablissement Public de la Porte Dorée – Cité Nationale de l’Histoire de l’Immigration were reinforced, as was the interchange of ideas with the Higher Studies Institute of Fafe, where this Seminar was held.

One of the organising bodies, the Rui Barbosa Foundation, promoted the first international link: “The common link between the Foundation and the Museums is the mutual interest in the Comendador Albino Oliveira Guimarães. With close ties to the Ministry of Culture, the Foundation is a centre of research and documentation housed in a property that belonged to the Comendador during the XIXth. century, before it was acquired by Rui Barbosa, lawyer and politician; a museum was created in his memory and is today part of Brazil’s cultural patrimony”…(Ana Passoa, Rui Barbosa Foundation, Rio de Janeiro).

The Scientific Themes Sessions dealt with the following subjects: MIGRATIONS: Diversities, Cultures and Human Rights; MIGRATIONS: History, Patrimony and Education; MIGRATIONS: Museums and Archives; the objective being to know and appreciate the museums as coordinating poles of research on Economic, Social and Cultural History, with reference to migrations.

The wealth of subject matter was amply illustrated in:

Local and regional biographies and history; Sociological and anthropological research; Educational research, in its approach to multi-cultural teaching and dialogue; Museums and Archives for the study, preservation and defence of historical and social memories; Emergence of the Web, which facilititates connections between the various aspects of the migration phenomenon. UNESCO has created a site on the Internet and an electronic forum.

The International Seminar also welcomed the following activities:

Exhibitions: Ellis Island Portraits 1905-1920, USA – Ellis Island Immigration Museum; Aristides de Sousa Mendes – Le Juste de Bordeaux; Le Rêve Portugais – 25 ans d’Immigration Portugaise en France; Visits to Museums and Historic Sites of Emigration and Homecoming, and a tribute to Comendador Albino Oliveira Guimarães.

All these activities are conducive to the promotion of conciliation and integration, thus fulfilling the original purpose of this Seminar.