ADDITIONAL ANNEX II

Programa Pontos de Memória [Memory Points Program]

a. Name of the Measure: Memory Points Program

b. Key Objectives of the Measure: Criado pela Act No. 11906, of 20 January 2009, the Memory Points Program is developed by the Brazilian Museum Institute (IBRAM) with the goal of supporting actions and initiatives aimed at identifying, recognizing, appreciating, protecting and promoting cultural expressions developed by groups, peoples and communities that are differentiated for their historical and cultural characteristics, including indigenous peoples, quilombolas, peasants, LGBT community, residents of the city suburbs, immigrants, roma peoples and others, by means of participatory and dialogic methods. In this context, the Points conduct a lively and dynamic work with memory as a result of social interactions and communicational processes, electing aspects of the past in accordance with the identities and interests of the components of the group.

c. What is – the scope, the nature and the main feature of the measure? At first, twelve Memory Points were developed in popular communities of 12 major cities in Brazil: Belém; Belo Horizonte; Brasília; Curitiba; Fortaleza; Maceió; Porto Alegre; Recife; Rio de Janeiro; Sao Paulo; Salvador and Vitória. After the Award Notice for the Memory Points of 2011, the program gained steam and it was possible to identify over 150 initiatives and proposals of Memory and Social Museology (of several typologies) in Brazil, besides almost two dozen related to communities of Brazilian expatriates.

Since then, IBRAM has been working on the consolidation of a public policy of right to memory, based on dialogue and participation with various groups and social movements, local governments and activists, in order to ensure that this right is exercised by the indigenous, quilombolas, candomblé peoples, masters, practitioners, revellers and groups of popular culture along with urban, rural, border, independent artists and artistic groups as well as by age or population segments of specific age ranges or genres, or any other social group that requires greater acknowledgement of their human, social and cultural rights.

The Memory Points program is institutional. By conceiving the Museum as an instrument of social change and sustainable development of the communities, the program promotes the expansion of the process of knowledge and appreciation of memory. To enhance community leadership, theMemoryPoints foster the feeling of belonging and the self-esteem of children, youth and adults before their community based on the acknowledgement of plurality. Thus, they contribute to the strengthening of local traditions and identity and to the empowerment of once vulnerable groups. As such, it is possible to improve the quality of life of the population with reduction of poverty and of violence.

In a full process of development, those structures are capable of fostering and empowering local traditions and the bonds of belonging, as well as boosting tourism and local economy, offering a positive contribution toward the reduction of poverty and violence.

d. Does it specifically target individuals and/or social groups as defined in Article 7 of the Convention?Yes.The programhasthefollowingtargetaudience:

  • independentartistsandartisticgroups
  • masters, practitioners, revellers and groups of popular urban, rural, limitary and folk cultures
  • priority age groups – children, youth and the elderly
  • women, gender groups and minorities (LGBT)
  • indigenous peoples, quilombolas (descendants of former slaves) and candomblé people (adept of African-based religions)
  • other social groups that lack acknowledgement of their human, social and cultural rights.

e. What are the results expected through the implementation of the measures? The instance responsible for the implementation of the Memory Points Program is the Brazilian Museum Institute. Since 2011, resources allocated for the Memory PointsProgramadd up to 1,500,724.70 USD to award initiatives of communities working with their memories.

In the award category, initiatives taking place in Brazil are granted 8,871.28 USD each for actions conducted over the three years prior to the issuing of the notice call. The amount must be employed toward the execution of memory-related actions, according to a work plan approved by the same award panel.

f. Name of NGOs and/or private companies engaged of the implementation of the measure.The recognition of memory-related actions by means of the award ensures total autonomy for the associations that conduct them, so that there are no NGOs and/or private companies connected to IBRAM and directly engaged in the implementation of this policy of right to memory. Besides the more than 150 Memory Points recipient of their awards, IBRAM also recognizes other 150 community initiatives dealing with social memory, many of which are articulated in territorial or thematic networks. So far, 13 maps of memory and social museology were mapped, with regional activity in nine States and three with national scope.

g. Was this measure introduced or revised in order to implement the provisions of the Convention? The use of museology instruments for the identification, surveying and promotion of cultural expressions of groups, peoples and communities that are differentiated because of historical and cultural characteristics both implements the provisions of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted in 2005 by UNESCO, and supports/fosters the political discussion inspired by the Convention.

h. Has the implementation of the measure been evaluated?No.