Do coração da comunidade às páginas da história: Pedro Braga e sua contribuição à memória social e às tradições do povoado do Vau (Diamantina, MG, 1988-2024)

Abstract

This research investigates the life and contributions of Pedro Cordeiro Braga (1917–2000), a popular storyteller, self-taught writer, and voluntary postal agent, whose actions were pivotal in preserving the collective memory of the rural community of Vau, located between the municipalities of Diamantina and Serro, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Drawing upon the analysis of six handwritten notebooks, interviews conducted with local residents between 2018 and 2024, and an interview with Braga himself recorded in 1988, the research seeks to understand how he, by navigating between orality and writing, acted as a cultural mediator in a context marked by population decline, sociocultural transformations, and the weakening of oral traditions as a means of knowledge transmission. The study argues that Braga did not merely document stories, practices, legends, genealogies, and historical events of the Vau community, but did so driven by a strong sense of urgency: the awareness of the impending disappearance of the "certain traditions" he had inherited. His actions—such as writing letters to prevent the closure of the local post office and composing notebooks that combine personal and collective memories—are interpreted as deliberate acts of resistance against oblivion, aimed at reaffirming communal bonds amid periods of social disruption. Braga’s endeavor to inscribe the history of Vau, despite his limited formal education and through a writing style deeply influenced by oral speech, is examined as a process of translation and validation of subaltern knowledge systems. His work thus constitutes an important example of grassroots historical consciousness, offering valuable insights into the interplay between memory, identity, and cultural preservation in marginalized communities.