#Monomad Challenge - The right to preserve history

about 2 months ago

Good evening, #Monomad friends

Today I'm sharing here in this group some photos of a bronze statue located in one of the main arteries of Lisbon's historic area. It's the statue of Priest António Vieira

Father António lived between 1608 and 1697, and was part of an important Christian movement at the time. The Jesuit movement that organized the raising of this monument ended up being an easy target for the protests that took place all over the world after the death of George Floyd. With the rhetoric that this statue was a monument of glory to the slavery caused by the Portuguese colonization of Brazil, acts of vandalism were carried out five days later. In my opinion, although heinous acts were committed in the 17th century, we shouldn't generalize and take a narrow stance that doesn't allow the existence of books, sculptures and paintings to have that era as their main theme.

Nowadays, the difference in the shades of the faces of the figures in the statue is striking.

In my thoughts and reflections, I realize that the world is moving at a rapid pace towards an extreme deviation in opinions, with no desire to bring the reality of the present day into line with what was once historical.

If humanity were to condemn with vandalism all artifice, books and music that misaligned with some ideology that is considered acceptable today, wouldn't we be depriving current and future generations of only a selective memory?
Let's accept the differences and respect the memories of those who suffered at the hands of another being or regime, to be remembered as such, and not erased from memory, as if the mere fact that we are remembering means that we are supporting the movements and ideas of the time.

I know that my opinion may not be consensual, but if it were, we would eliminate from history moments that, although they do not make humanity proud, are important for us to recognize how we got here and at what cost.