Reflections on the insufficiency of strategies to safeguard a patrimonialized Intangible good

the case of the rag dolls of Nossa Senhora das Dores/SE

Abstract

In 2018, the rag dolls of Nossa Senhora das Dores gained prominence when they were declared the municipality's intangible heritage. For us, the act of patrimonializing also implies, but is not limited to, a way of institutionalizing cultural property in order to safeguard and protect it with the aim of keeping it alive in society. The action of giving something the status of heritage is important because it strengthens connections with our histories and memories. For this reason, the aim of this research is to reflect on whether the safeguarding strategies adopted as a result of the heritage process so far can be considered sufficient to strengthen and disseminate this intangible heritage among the residents of Nossa Senhora das Dores. In addition to the bibliographic and documentary survey, data was also collected through interviews with public managers involved both in the process of heritage and in the efforts to propose safeguarding initiatives. We found that, in addition to the wealth of existing cultural meanings, the patrimonialization of rag dolls took place not only without following the steps that guide the patrimonialization process adopted by IPHAN, once the absence of its own municipal protocol for patrimonialization was noted, but, above all, it did not adequately propose effective actions to safeguard the patrimonialized asset. That being said, we would like to highlight the importance of the contributions made here in order to help achieve the main objective of patrimonialization, which is the appreciation, belonging and appropriation of the property by its residents.