It is in the heart of Pelourinho that you will find an imposing blue colonial mansion that for 37 years has held a great treasure of Brazilian culture: the collection of the writer couple Jorge Amado and Zélia Gattai. The Casa de Jorge Amado Foundation operates there, which was designed to preserve and study the writer’s bibliographic and artistic collections, but which he never wanted to become just a museum.
“What I want is that in this house the meaning of life in Bahia is present and that this is the feeling of its existence, that alongside research and study, it is a place of meeting, of cultural exchange between Bahia and other places ”, said Jorge Amado.
After nine months of its major renovation, the Casa de Jorge Amado Foundation reopened this Wednesday (11) to guests and the press. And from this Thursday (12th) it reopens to the public, who can visit it for free until Saturday (14th). On these days, the public will also be able to enjoy a special program that takes place in Pelourinho, in front of the Foundation: the Uma Casa de Palavras Festival, which promotes a gastronomic fair and musical performances. The objective of this festival is to promote Jorge Amado’s work by uniting three major landmarks of Salvador’s culture: gastronomy, literature and music.
The reform
The cultural institution underwent the biggest restoration since its inauguration on March 7, 1987. Its headquarters, which was made up of houses numbers 49 and 51 – the well-known Casas Azul and Amarela do Largo do Pelourinho – was now connected to another building, number 47, the so-called White House. With the renovation, new exhibition spaces were created. Furthermore, the site became more accessible, more modern and safer, with the installation of a new and modern fire prevention and monitoring system.
“It is the biggest renovation, which began in March this year,” said Angela Fraga, executive director of the Casa de Jorge Amado Foundation. “The budget was more or less R$2 million. We were curated by the team itself: we are 13 employees, everyone working on this creation, this conception”, he added.
According to her, the reform was the result of a lot of struggle. Mainly for resources. “Cultural institutions in our country, unfortunately, are difficult to maintain. But we have counted on relevant partnerships. The Ministry of Culture opens this loophole of, for example, approving annual maintenance plans for spaces like this, which is fundamental, because it is very difficult in Brazil to make direct contributions for the maintenance of collections or exhibitions. The Rouanet Law comes to help us and we have benefited from it”, he said.
After the renovation, the immense collection of Zélia Gattai and Jorge Amado – made up of around 350 thousand documents, including photographs taken by Zélia, books and also letters exchanged with friends – was all transferred to the White House. This new space also now houses the administrative part and a room for courses that are always offered by the institution. The other houses, which already existed in the previous project, will now be dedicated to exhibition spaces, which have been expanded and modernized. The viewpoint, which offers a great view of Pelourinho, will also host temporary exhibitions.
In this new conception of the Foundation, the writer and photographer Zélia Gattai will have an exclusive space about her life and work, as well as the poet and writer Myriam Fraga, who helped create the foundation and was also its first director. “This foundation was created almost 40 years ago. It started in a much more modest way, it was incorporated and it worked so well that it received other houses that composed with this original. A harmonious whole, but one that needed to be well incorporated. Now this renovation has been done and it’s a wonderful thing”, said Paloma Jorge Amado, daughter of the writers.
House of culture
On the afternoon of this Wednesday (11), Paloma was at the Foundation with her brother, João Jorge Amado. “This is a house to move around. Not just the literary thing, but the culinary thing, the plastic thing, all the cultural aspects of the city and the state”, said João.
“This is a house of culture. It is a house that holds my father and mother’s collections and which have been available for 40 years to anyone who wants to come and consult them. Just entering this house already has their soul. But the house is, above all, what Dad wanted it to be, a house of culture in the city of Salvador, Pelourinho, Bahia. So, it’s not just Jorge Amado and Zélia Gattai here. Here are all Bahian writers, all young writers, everyone who comes and absorbs a wonderful culture, which is the culture of our land”, said the also writer.
To mark this reopening, musical performances will be held in front of the Foundation until next Saturday. This Wednesday, the presentation was by Ganhadeiras de Itapuã. On Thursday (12), Claudia Cunha will perform. On Friday, the show will be performed by Gerônimo. On these days, shows take place from 7pm. On Saturday (14), it will be the turn of PUMM-For a Better World, with a special program for children from 4pm.
From next Monday (16th), the cultural institution will charge tickets again, but will always have free entry on Wednesdays.
*The reporter traveled at the invitation of the Casa de Jorge Amado Foundation
