President of the Institute of the National Historical and Artistic Patrimony (Iphan), Kátia Bogéa majored in History by the Federal University of Maranhão in 1984 and specialized in Brazilian historiography by the University of São Paulo in 1988.

Kátia Bogéa has been acting exclusively with cultural patrimony since 1979. In 1980, she became an intern at the newly created Iphan’s regional superintendence in Maranhão. From that moment on, she dedicated her professional life to the research and the preservation of the city of Alcântara and of São Luís’ historical center. She held office as Iphan’s superintendent of Maranhão from 2003 to 2015.

Throughout these 12 years of administration, Kátia Bogéa and the institute’s tecnical team articulated the Historical Town’s Program (PAC) together with São Luís’ city hall. Regarding intangible heritage, both Tambor de Crioula and the Cultural Complex of Bumba Meu Boi were registered by the organization. Since June 2016, Kátia Bogéa is the first former superintendent to become president of the Institute in 80 years.

Her job as Iphan’s head coordinator has been successful in strengthening the institutional dialogue, building partnerships around the Brazilian Cultural Heritage Preservation, and in enhancing the Institute’s organizational structure in the context of lacking resources and low personnel.

One of the main achievements of Iphan’s current administration was the public tender that enhanced its mission of preserving and valuing Brazilian Cultural Heritage. The task involved the president’s intense personal efforts with its board and among the country’s National Congress, resulting in 411 newly servants that are already assuming its posts throughout Brazil.

In this period, Iphan has delivered more than 90 restoration and qualification projects concerning Cultural Heritage, promoting communities’ living conditions. The program PAC Historical Towns, built through state and city administrations, summed up almost R$ 500 million in direct inversions on work projects. The acknowledgment of Iphan’s job surpasses the national borders of Brazil. The current administration brought three World Heritage titles to the country, Pampulha Modern Ensemble in Belo Horizonte (MG), Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and the mixed site of Paraty and Ilha Grande (RJ) – Culture and Biodiversity. This year, also the Cultural Complex of the Bumba-Meu-Boi of Maranhão might be inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

The Consultive Board of Cultural Heritage has approved 13 new sites and the registry of other nine intangible assets in the same period. In the last three years, there were many advances in cultural policy: the Material Cultural Heritage Policy (2018) updated the operational guidelines for protected sites, also another ordinance was stated for fire prevention on protected sites, starting a new wave of security measures regarding Brazilian Cultural Heritage.

The Goiás Commitment-letter, signed by Iphan and the ministries of Citizenship, Cities and Tourism, seeking to establish the National System of Heritage and to insert a requalification program for towns and sites in the political agenda. In addition, the Parliament Heritage Front was created, bolstering Iphan to a new level of articulation and national acknowledgment.

All these growing paths included 43 new publication titles and the reinvigoration of the acclaimed Heritage Journal, since Iphan’s 80 years anniversary. During Katia Bogéa’s administration, six numbers of 40 already edited by Iphan were published, promoting cultural revive, highlighting that the Cultural Heritage is not restricted to preconceived concepts and forms, being characterized instead by its exceptional diversity.