Tantas histórias, tantas lembranças: o cotidiano dos idosos da Candelária, Morro da Mangueira

Abstract

So many histories, so many memories examines the relationship between the old-established residents and the community from Candelária, one location from Morro da Mangueira, in Rio de Janeiro s North area. Besides that, it aims to recall memories, get to know the area s history from oral narratives from the elderly people, remember famous and quaint facts, find out memorable places and follow a little bit the daily life of the eldest ones, mostly the ones that join the domino board game. The women are really present in the community, being many times responsible for the financial support of the family and the pareting of the children too. As an academic support, authors like Peter Burke (2005), Néstor Garcia Canclini (2006) and Roger Chartier (2002) were used to deal with some culture concepts. Beatriz Sarlo (2007), Jacques Le Goff (2003), Maurice Halbwachs (1968) and Michael Pollak (1992) regarding the memory topic itself. And for the places contextualization, it was based on the humanist geography from Yi Fu Tuan (1983) and the theoretical framework from Milton Santos (2008). The narratives here analyzed were collected during six months of investigation through a participant study that included filming for a documentary, as well as the deep use of the interviews and the development of a field log. Through these narratives it is noticeable that in the slum the time of the relationships is different, slower, being more savored by its inhabitants. Time which is merged with the communication technology brought by the new generations; technology that is not assimilated by most of the elderly residents but that, at the same time, does not overshadow the tender relationships that, as Milton Santos says, convert a coexistence space into a place. The Minas Gerais origin remains crystallized, present, alive in all moments, like in the communal parties, the food, the Folia de reis. The social actors try to preserve traditions, but it is noticeable that some of these traditions have been through adjustments during the time. The elderly residents have influence in the daily culture, not as protagonists, but as a reference, having their opinions consulted and taken into consideration by most people in this so peculiar community called Candelária.