Negritude in Focus debates Afro-diasporic representations in museums and gardens

On September 1, the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden will hold the second edition of the Negritude em Foco Forum, a program dedicated to promoting Afro-Brazilian cultures and encouraging debate on memory, history, and the environment. The guest speaker is Aline Montenegro (Museu Paulista/USP). The event will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Botanical Garden Museum, with free admission and live streaming on the JBRJ YouTube channel.

The lecture will focus on “Afro-Diasporic Objects and Images in Museums and Gardens” and will be moderated by Raul Ribeiro, Head of the Museum and Collection Division of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden.

Aline Montenegro holds a bachelor's degree and a teaching degree in History from UFRJ, where she also completed her master's and doctorate in Social History. She is currently a professor at the Museu Paulista at USP, where she serves as Head of the Collection and Curatorship Division. She worked for over 20 years as a historian at the National Historical Museum (IBRAM), having served as acting director between February and July 2022.

As a senior postdoctoral fellow at CNPq, she developed the project “Black people in the National Historical Museum: towards a decolonized collection, 1922-2018.” The researcher is a member of the Editorial Board of the IPHAN Magazine, the Artistic Guidance Council of the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, and the Curatorial Committee of the Casa das Rosas, Casa Guilherme de Almeida, and Casa Mário de Andrade museums. Her career is notable for her research on collecting, the material culture of the African diaspora in museums, and the writing of history in cultural heritage.

The Negritude in Focus Forum is part of the first phase of the Botanical Garden's Affirmative Action Plan, launched in 2024 with the inauguration of the Memorial das Mãos Negras (Black Hands Memorial). The initiative seeks to broaden the ethnic-racial dialogue within the institution and strengthen the JBRJ's commitment to a more just, diverse, and inclusive society. Each edition of the Forum brings together leading experts in fields such as history, museology, anthropology, and environmental conservation.

Negritude in Focus Forum: Afrodiasporic Objects and Images in Museums and Gardens
With Aline Montenegro (Museu Paulista/USP)
Date: September 1, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Multipurpose Room of the Botanical Garden Museum - 1st floor
Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008

Seats: 50, on a first-come, first-served basis
Free admission | All ages welcome
Live broadcast on the JBRJ YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/JardimBotanicodoRiodeJaneiro