All Souls’ Day pays tribute to loved ones and calls for an end to violence: ‘We need to live and coexist in peace with each other’, says Dom Orani | River

All Souls’ Day in Rio was marked by cemeteries full of people who went to pay homage to their loved ones. At the Penitência cemetery, in Caju, North Zone, Archbishop Orani João Tempesta, made a blessing and said a mass. He wrote a message with a request for peace that was reproduced on a panel at the top of the cemetery that will be exposed until Sunday and can be seen from different points of the city, such as Linha Vermelha, Amarela and Avenida Brasil: “We salute the memory of the loved ones dear ones and peace in the world!”

— Nowadays, two things attract attention: the situation of war and deaths that happen in our world, which hurt and leave a big mark on our society. We need to live and coexist in peace with each other — said Orani.

An action was also carried out at the Penitência Cemetery with instrumentalists who played songs by performers and composers who have memories stored there, such as Nelson Sargento, Bibi Ferreira, Paulo Debétio, Beth Carvalho, Moraes Moreira and the MCs Marcinho and Sapão.

— I think these activities are beautiful and important. It’s a way of paying homage and feeling the affection of everyone up there — said Eva Queiroz, who went to be closer to her mother, father, sister, nephew and grandparents.

Use of AI

How about missing your loved one by seeing them again with the help of Artificial Intelligence? The invitation was made by Jardim da Saudade de Sulacap, in the West Zone of Rio, and accepted by some families. The result can be observed on this All Souls Day, with the display in a Holographic Room of holograms (three-dimensional images in human size), including that of the singer Elza Soares, buried there in 2022, and several people, whose families agreed to participate in the action technological.

The idea is to help people deal with grief and longing, reviving memories. As a result, the “Finados com Arte” event was replaced this year by “Finados com arte e Artificial Intelligence”. The Holographic Piano Concert, for the first time, will be Hi-tech, and presented through the hologram of pianist Alfredo Sertã, who will watch his own concert from the audience.

The use of Artificial Intelligence will also allow visitors to interact with photos of their family members, which will gain “life and movement” through the novelty. The Holographic Room is open from 6am to 5pm and the Artificial Intelligence Photographic Space from 8am.

Action against dengue

With the forecast of thousands of visits to the city’s cemeteries, Rio’s municipal health department intensified actions to combat the outbreak of the Aedes aegypti mosquito in these locations. The measure aims to prevent new cases of arboviruses: dengue, zika and chikungunya. In the last few days and in the next two weeks, 20 cemeteries have been inspected by 173 surveillance agents in search of water accumulation that could facilitate the insect’s reproduction.

— The characteristics of cemeteries may favor the proliferation of the vector. It is important to draw attention to the need for the population to also do their part. In the specific case of people who will honor their dead, it is important that they are aware that, if they place flowers in vases with water, they will encourage the reproduction of Aedes aegypti. It is always good to give preference, for example, to pots with soil, which in addition to the greater durability of the plant, will prevent the emergence of mosquito outbreaks — explains the superintendent of Health Surveillance, Gislani Mateus.