«More day, less day, the Cork Museum has to be reopened» (with photos)

“It's a shame this museum is closed. But it's a good thing that the young people of the land are concerned” said Olof […]

“It's a shame this museum is closed. But it's a good thing the young people of the land are concerned,” said Olof and Hannah, a couple of Danish tourists who this morning had the opportunity to do what no one has done for three years: visit the Cork Museum, in Silves.

The two septuagenarian tourists almost fearfully entered the premises of Fábrica do Inglês, where the 14 students of the 6th F class at Escola EB 2,3 Dr. Garcia Domingues, accompanied by two teachers – Manuel Ramos and Anabela Marques – and other people from land, they dedicated themselves diligently to uprooting the herbs that, after three years of the Museum's closure, reached more than a meter and a half in height.

"This Cork Museum is indicated here in our guide," Olof and Hannah told the reporter from Sul Informaçãopointing the photo in the book. “But we didn't know it was closed. It is a pity". The couple of Danish tourists, themselves retired teachers, made a point of visiting the museum for a long time, which only opened this Friday, symbolically, as it is May 18, International Museum Day, and, ironically, the third anniversary day of your clasp.

Like Olof and Hannah, many people took advantage of the open doors to enter the Cork Museum, which was closed in 2009, following the financial problems of the company that owns Fábrica do Inglês.

One of these visitors was Diamantino Neves, who after having been a cork worker since he was 13 years old, worked in the museum itself, exemplifying how cork-making machines worked. «So much so that I worked here…Look, my name is there», commented the former worker pointing to a panel at the entrance of the museum.

«I worked in a factory next door. I only came here when they created the museum. This put thousands of people here a year. It is now closed…The tourist guides, who know me well, are always asking me when they find me: so when will the Cork Museum reopen? But I don't see a way for this to happen…», said Diamantino Neves, to Sul Informação.

Os young students from the 6th F class at the school in Silves, between the ages of 12 and 15, quickly managed to weed the museum entrance. Afterwards they cleaned the dust inside and finally helped to pick oranges from the trees in the garden of Fábrica do Inglês, which were donated to Santa Casa da Misericórdia.

And what do young people think of the state of their heritage? "It's too bad this is closed," said 12-year-old Rafael, sparing on words. As for the work of pulling out the herbs, hoe in hand, Rafa was like a fish in water: «I usually help my grandfather in the garden».

From time to time, Manuel Castelo Ramos, who is still the director of the Cork Museum and is also a professor of Environmental Studies for these young people, had to control their impulses. «Be careful with the sandstone!», warned Manuel Ramos when someone hit the red stones on the floor harder with the tool.

 

French documentary filmmaker recorded symbolic action

 

All the bustle, from the preparation at school, the parade through the streets of Silves distributing postcards from the Museum, carrying posters with slogans about the defense of this heritage, the cleaning work and the picking of oranges, was accompanied not only by journalists, as by the Portuguese-French documentary maker Sónia Cabrita.

Born in Paris, but the daughter of a father from Silva, Sónia Cabrita has been in Portugal for a year now, making a documentary about the memory of the canning industry in Silves. From her work, which includes research in archives, interviews with former workers and other people, the researcher and documentarian even got the idea that «Silves values ​​his story a lot. But not as a whole». In other words, “there are areas of Silves' history that are well lit, such as the heritage of the Moors, and other areas that are in shadow, such as the importance of the cork industry. The state of the Cork Museum is a good example of this».

After another successful “fighting journey”, what will now follow? What results from all this?

«Students today learned something here, at least that the heritage of the land is important and even brings journalists here», joked Manuel Ramos.

The professor and director of the museum announced that an Association of Friends of the Cork Museum will soon be created, a structure that he hopes will count on the «support of the natives of Silvenses and of all those who want to join».

«We want the process of insolvency in which Fábrica do Inglês is it does not prevent the reopening of this Museum and, above all, it does not lead to the dispersion of this heritage. Also because much of what is here actually belonged to Fábrica do Inglês, but there were also many donations from people from Silves».

“The future of the museum will also have to be what people, the Silvenses, want it to be. But for this it is necessary that, following the example of these young students, people get involved. Sooner or later this museum will have to be reopened», said, hopefully, Manuel Ramos.

 

 

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