On Monday, UNESCO declared two iconic opera houses built in the Brazilian Amazon as World Heritage Sites: the Amazonas Theater in Manaus and the Peace Theater in Belem.
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Both represent the “rich cultural heritage” of the Belle Epoque in the world’s largest rainforest. The World Heritage Committee made the decision during its annual assembly in Busan, South Korea, and marks the first time a cultural site from the Brazilian Amazon has been added to the list.
The Brazilian delegation emphasized the importance of this inscription, highlighting that the Amazon is not only a paradigm of natural heritage but also a producer of cultures, memories, and identity.
These theaters not only host opera and theater, but also carimbo dance, jazz, and film, becoming spaces for broad artistic expression and symbols of cultural exchange.
Both were built in the late 19th century thanks to the rubber boom, when global demand for latex transformed the Amazon into an economic hub capable of importing European styles and materials.
The “odyssey” of constructing them in an isolated region, with materials transported by ship across the Atlantic and up the Amazon River, even inspired the celebrated German film Fitzcarraldo (1982).
Deyvesson Alves, president of the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage, described the recognition as a “historic achievement” that showcases the region’s cultural diversity to the world.
teleSUR: JP
Source: EFE
Source: teleSUR English
