A Conversation with Rodrigo Correia do Amaral and Naomi Andrew Haruna
MEIKE LETTAU
University of Hildesheim, Germany
Natural, health, political and economic disasters are unexpected events that produce high degrees of damage and the likelihood of human fatality.
One authoritative source defines disasters as (1) “an unexpected event, such as a very bad accident, a flood, or a fire, that kills a lot of people or causes a lot of damage”, (2) “a very bad situation that causes problems” and (3) “a complete failure” (OXFORD LEARNERS DICTIONARIES
2022).
Recent examples include the huge flood in Artal, Germany in 2021
that not only destroyed the living conditions of many residents, but also
caused damage to museums, galleries, an opera house, and archives. The
art collection of the city of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler was entirely flooded,
and 30 percent of the art works were completely destroyed. The regional
museum association, Museumsverband Rheinland-Pfalz, assisted with
support and with the drying, cleaning and conservation of objects.
Renown museums offered immediate partnerships for the restoration
of specific objects. The destruction of cultural institution buildings
naturally further impacts cultural production and access to arts and
culture for the long-term (REDAKTIONSNETZWERK DEUTSCHLAND
2021; DEUTSCHE WELLE 2021).
Another recent example is the Covid-19 pandemic that started
in 2019 and affected almost all regions of the world over a very short
time period. The current climate crisis, which is an ongoing long-term
challenge, is also a disaster situated on a global level. In contrast, most
disasters happening worldwide can be found on local and regional
levels in specific contexts. Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes,…….