Distant but United: A Cooperation Charter between Ecomuseums of Italy and Brazil

In the context of severe contemporary crises and the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, ecomuseums and community museums have continued their mission of caring for and interpreting living cultural heritage, empowering communities to sustainably manage heritage and thus contributing to integral local development and the strengthening of a shared social consciousness and identity. During the pandemic, Italian and Brazilian ecomuseums experimented with new ways of involving, inspiring and supporting communities. They also strengthened their networking efforts, first on a national and then binational level, notably by co-creating the Cooperation Charter ‘Distant but United. The Ecomuseums and Community museums of Italy and Brazil’, which highlights a common vision, challenges and shared responsibilities for a bilateral action programme. This article has five parts. The first discusses the changes necessary to overcome contemporary crises; the second examines how ecomuseums responded to the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic; the third presents the practices of several ecomuseums developed during the pandemic; and the fourth illustrates the methodology and contents of the charter. The final section presents the main results, limitations and development prospects of the cooperation experience.