20th General Assembly of the World Council of Houses of the Azores meets in Toronto, Canada
The 20th General Assembly of the World Council of Houses of the Azores (CMCA) will take place in Toronto, Canada, from September 13 to 16. The Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations, Rui Bettencourt, will attend the event.
For four days, the 14 Houses of the Azores from Canada, United States, Bermuda, Brazil, Uruguay and Mainland Portugal that make up the World Council will meet in several working sessions to assess the activities thy develop and analyse the main problems and challenges the Azorean communities are currently facing in the Diaspora.
The opening session will take place at the University of Toronto next Wednesday, September 13, and will include the speeches to be delivered by Rui Bettencourt and Suzanne Cunha, president of the House of the Azores of Ontario who holds the presidency of the World Council of Houses of the Azores. The event will be followed by internal working sessions and the presentation of activities developed by the various Houses of the Azores.
Also on September 13, there will be a presentation of the Canadian Centre for Azorean Research and Studies by professors of the universities of Toronto and York. The programme also includes the opening of the exhibition "Antero de Quental and Vitorino Nemésio: Living Verbs of Azorean Culture" at Toronto Bloor-Gladstone Library, an event promoted by the Government of the Azores.
On September 14, the works continue at the House of the Azores of Ontario with the presentation of activities developed by the Houses of the Azores, followed by an internal session that will analyse the present and future challenges of the Houses of the Azores. The programme for that day ends with a visit to the Museum of the Pioneers.
Already on Friday, September 15, the morning programme includes a visit to the social institution Portuguese Support Services for Quality Living in Hamilton and the Portuguese Cultural Centre of Mississauga; the latter will host the session on "The role of youth in the Diaspora." The day ends with the opening of the exhibition "20 years of the World Council of the Houses of the Azores" at Brampton City Hall.
The last day of the works will be marked by the awarding ceremony of the medals of merit. At the event, the Houses of the Azores will pay tribute to various personalities and institutions, in addition to distinguishing the "Azorean Quality Product" 2017, which will be Azorean meat. This award will be delivered to the president of the Azores Agricultural Federation, Jorge Rita.
The works of the 20th General Assembly of the World Council of Houses of the Azores will involve, at the invitation of the Regional Government, the participation of representatives of political parties with a seat at the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.
Founded in 1997, the World Council of Houses of the Azores comprises the Houses of the Azores of Northern Portugal, Lisbon and Algarve (Mainland Portugal), Winnipeg, Quebec and Ontario (Canada), Hilmar and New England (USA), Bermuda, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and Uruguay. The Regional Directorate for Communities is also a member of CMCA.
The CMCA aims to bring the Azorean communities closer as well as to disseminate the Azores, the Azorean people and their culture among the populations of their respective areas of influence, promoting and developing activities that contribute to the affirmation of the Azores and their Diaspora. This body also defends the interests of the Region and promotes social, cultural and economic relations between the archipelago and the territories where each institution is established.