The Regional Director for Communities highlighted in Florianópolis, Brazil, the importance of the Azorean cultural legacy "in the formation and construction of Santa Catarina's society as well as in the identity of its people."
Paulo Teves spoke Thursday at the signing ceremony of municipal law no. 10,290/2017 declaring 2018 as the "Year of the Azores in Florianópolis." The government official stressed that initiatives such as this "represent a source of pride for the archipelago of the Azores and consolidate relations between our peoples."
"The declaration of 2018 as the Municipal Year of the Azores in Florianópolis is the acknowledgement of the contribution of the Azorean presence and its cultural legacy to the development of this city and the State of Santa Catarina," stressed the Regional Director. He added that the initiative is an "opportunity to strengthen emotional ties and explore new areas in this relation."
The law establishing 2018 as the "Year of the Azores," proposed by Councillor Edinon Manoel da Rosa, was unanimously approved by the Municipal Council. It is part of the celebrations of the 270th anniversary of the arrival of the first Azoreans in Santa Catarina on January 6, 1748. The group of 461 Azoreans that crossed the Atlantic would only arrive in Santa Catarina on February 22 of that year.
The signing ceremony of the document involved the participation of several personalities. It was presided over by Gean Marques Loureiro, Mayor of Florianópolis, and was attended by the presidents of the House of the Azores of Santa Catarina, Sérgio Ferreira, and the Centre for Azorean Studies of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Francisco do Vale Pereira, both partners of the Azorean Government.
Under his visit to Brazil, Paulo Teves met with the Advisory Council of the Centre for Azorean Studies at the Federal University of Santa Catarina on Wednesday, October 25. It was also attended by the 20 municipalities of that State.
At the meeting, participants outlined a series of initiatives to be promoted under the celebrations of this important event for the history of the Azores and Santa Catarina.
"The initiatives presented by this Council are an opportunity to further promote the proximity between both parts of the Atlantic and, thus, strengthen the emotional ties between the Azores and the State of Santa Catarina," said Paulo Teves.
"After more than two and a half centuries, the presence and dynamics of the Azorean identity is still alive in several municipalities of this State. This deserves our greatest consideration and partnership," stressed the government official.
Before visiting Santa Catarina, the Regional Director for Communities was in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, where he met with the Board of the House of the Azores and visited UNISINOS - University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos and Carlos Bina State School.
At this school, Paulo Teves took part in a meeting with more than eighty students. He highlighted the important work developed by the House of the Azores of Rio Grande do Sul with State-run schools "in the preservation of Azorean culture among younger generations," while "promoting the Azores of today and disseminating the potentialities of the archipelago."