The traditional Japanese lamps in Liberdade, in the center of São Paulo, have been removed from one of the neighborhood’s streets. The change took place on Rua dos Aflitos, which will now have ordinary LED lights. The rest of the neighborhood will continue with the traditional Asian streetlamps.
The measure came about after pressure from the black movement, which is increasingly seeking to revive Liberdade’s black ancestry, which is often not recognized. See more below:
Japanese lamps detract from Rua dos Aflitos’ black history
Prior to the arrival of Asian immigrants, the area of present-day Liberdade had a long history of black occupation, which has been rendered invisible over the years.
One building that remains from this history is the Capela dos Aflitos, on the street of the same name, which was inaugurated in 1775. It was part of the Aflitos Cemetery, which occupied the block bounded by the current Rua dos Estudantes, Galvão Bueno, da Glória and Radial Leste and which, at the time, received the bodies of those on the margins of society. Such as enslaved people, indigenous people and those condemned to be hanged.
In 2018, excavations found the first bones on the site of the old cemetery, and in 2020, the City Hall announced that it will build the Memorial dos Aflitos there, as a tribute to this chapter in the neighborhood’s history. The removal of the Japanese lanterns from Rua dos Aflitos, therefore, comes as a consequence of the greater visibility of the black presence in Liberdade.
Black and Japanese memories can go hand in hand
In a statement, the City Hall explained that the measure does not seek to erase Liberdade’s Japanese heritage, but rather to make room for both cultures to coexist in the region. Check it out :
In a commitment to transparency and dialog with society, the lanterns, which refer to Japanese immigration, were considered inappropriate for the location, since Beco dos Aflitos houses the Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Aflitos, a landmark from the time of slavery in Brazil. […] The decision sought to balance respect for the different cultural layers present in the neighborhood, ensuring that the memory of each group is adequately represented.