How Flamengo maintains its 130-year history

— We tried to incorporate national symbols and identity characteristics into the walls. Although it is not a chronology, it depicts 130 years in detail. Our founding sport, rowing, is highlighted, Zico, Juan, Maracanã, historical moments, excerpts from the national anthem, important phrases that show what it means to be Flamengo, the vulture, the mystique of San Judas Tadeu, the cloak… a shirt for some, a cloak for Flamengo. The clothesline is then supported by the weight of the cloak – Desiree explains.

The manager and his team of 16 professionals work together with the communications and marketing departments to create commemorative products for the day. This list includes the launch of the web series “Sell Flamengo” (Flamengo TV) and the launch of the Fellusa shirt, the name of the first red and black ship that encountered a storm and sank. This episode led to the establishment of the club.

— Nation building begins with identity. And identity is created from your own history. Flamengo fans know what it means to be Flamengo, they know Adilio, they know Nunez, they know we have an origin myth. What we do here as a heritage site is preserve this history. Desiree says that personal, fan and specialist experience complements each other, especially since we are also Flamengo.

The Ministry has 35,161 items in technical reserve, including 7,071 trophies. Of this total, only 0.9% is part of the collection of the Flamengo Museum, which opened in 2023. Less than 1% (the digital museum has much more content, videos and texts).

Of this total, 6,573 are inventoried objects, i.e. those that have undergone a process of documentation and detailing. The majority have been cataloged, but more information about their origins and history may be available.

The club grounds contain pennants, licensed items, clothing, robes, trophies, documents, photographs, musical instruments, and more.

Departments attached to the museum are not open to the public. There is a “secret passage” from this department to the museum to facilitate access to and from exhibits.

Among the collection’s highlights are instruments such as the trumpet and clarinet from Charanga, the club’s first organized fan base. Album about Lydia von Rehring, pioneer of women’s sport in clubs and supporter of the 1932 Rio Santos crossing. The club’s first ever Tropon Trophy (1900) was named after a brand of strength-enhancing drug at the time.

The museum also has other items on display for fans to admire, including the teenage leotard of Brazil’s great Olympic medalist gymnast Rebecca Andrade. Black Gazella, sneakers of Erika López, two-time Rio de Janeiro and Brazil Trophy winner and South American record holder in the 60s. Adilio and Nunes Mantle, both 1981.

According to Desirree, the collection is constantly updated. His team is currently combing through research on cloaks, from the evolution of the fabric to the details of the stories involved. Works from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century are lined up.

— When researching an item, we also look for the era. And he comments that the more research there is, the more data, the more pathways, the more ideas that feed back into the heritage itself. — There are different ways to look at the items, but in many ways it’s similar to telling the story of Flamengo. And we know that telling Flamengo’s story is telling Brazil’s story…

The most eye-catching part of the robe is a black and red striped shirt made from a heavy, holey knit from the ’80s. Among the clothing items is a shirt belonging to one of the club’s founders, José Agostinho Pereira da Cunha. The black and white striped one was a gift from his grandson. There are some holes, but I can’t sew them. Contrary to what contemporary articles and publications indicated about the competitive body of rowers, this regatta was small.

Both of the more delicate pieces are kept in a type of envelope developed after packaging research to avoid a “microclimate”. The other cloak, in better condition, is on a hanger inside a TNT cover.

Desiree explains that the majority of the collection is made up of items collected by the club, plus donations. Flamengo’s heritage department was incorporated into the club’s structure around seven years ago as a “team of experts with a focus on research”. She has been heading up the department for a year and says that during her stewardship, the team has improved its research methods and the way it promotes the Red and Black story.

— When something historical comes to us, it is discussed in every field. Both museology, which includes the field of management of this collection, and research in terms of content and preservation methods, as well as archival science, education and content production. It’s a big cycle that happens every day. She comments that interest in donations has increased since the museum opened. — and Flamengo has a lot to offer, so cup competitions come one after the other. I joke that the difficulty is fun (lol).

Last year, the department also focused on organizing temporary exhibitions to allow items to be “circulated”, such as the Rubro Negras Women’s exhibition and the memorial exhibition to Adilio. It is also customary to highlight objects that add value to events other than Gávea. Last weekend at Fla Run, the Libertadores Cup was on display in the administration area. I couldn’t get too close or touch it.

And when they left Gavea and went to the race venue, Attero, they were packed in a special case and accompanied by a security guard (including during the race). Near the VIP area where the cup was highlighted, Flamengo fans were lining up to take pictures with the replica held by regular fans.

Desiree is pleased with the team’s work and is proud of the connections the department has made with universities such as the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and its Museum Department. This folder contains classes held at Flamengo.

When asked about her greatest accomplishment off the field, Desiree pointed out: