The Municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão will be marking the 51st anniversary of the Carnation Revolution with various initiatives, the historic date of 25 April 1974, whose events mark the conquest of freedom and the process that enabled democratic consolidation.
The Solemn Session of the Municipal Assembly, to be held on 25 April at 10am, is the political highlight of the celebrations. On that day, the Paços do Concelho will also be open to the public for a guided tour of the building's corridors, at 15h00 and 17h00, and for the presentation, at 16h00, of the book ‘25 de Abril Revolução Popular - 50 anos, 50 testemunhos’, by Artur Sá da Costa. There will also be another edition of the ‘Night of Stories and Poetry’, on the theme of ‘April and Freedom’, to be held at 9pm in the Casa de Delães.
The celebrations kicked off last Friday, 4 April, with the opening of the photographic exhibition ‘August 1975 - Famalicão on the Map of the Revolution’ and there will also be various cultural and sporting activities taking place throughout the month of April.
The full programme can be found at www.famalicao.pt
Photo exhibition ‘August 1975 - Famalicão on the Map of the Revolution’
Until 4 May, the Bernardino Machado Museum is hosting the photographic exhibition ‘August 1975 - Famalicão on the Map of the Revolution’, by photojournalist António Pereira de Sousa.
The exhibition, produced by the Casa da Memória Viva association, features fifty black and white photographs of moments lived in Vila Nova de Famalicão during the Hot Summer of 1975.
It's worth remembering that Álvaro Marques Square, where the Town Hall is located, was the scene of one of the largest demonstrations to take place after the Carnation Revolution, motivated by workers and quickly supported by thousands of Famalicans who expressed their dissatisfaction with the government and the political direction of the country at the time.
The photographic exhibition opened to the public last Friday, 4 April, with the presence of the photographer who captured the various moments of demand for freedom and democracy in our municipality 50 years ago, recorded in black and white for the newspaper ‘A Capital’ and the US news agency Associated Press.
Currently 83 years old, António Pereira de Sousa was born in Peso da Régua and is considered one of Portugal's best professionals in reportage photography.
The exhibition will also include a serigraph alluding to the 50th anniversary of Hot Summer in Famalicão, by artist and set designer Acácio de Carvalho, based on one of the fifty photographs taken by António Pereira de Sousa.
The exhibition can be visited until 4 May, from Tuesday to Friday from 10h00 to 17h30, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 14h30 to 17h30.
Admission is free.
Town Hall with guided tours on 25 April
On the 25th of April, the Paços do Concelho will be open to all those who want to visit the building housing Famalicão's Town Hall and Municipal Assembly.
There will be two visits, at 15h00 and 17h00, each limited to 25 participants. Those interested should register by e-mailing protocolo@famalicao.pt .
Famalicão Open City’ conference on 26 April
The auditorium of the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation will host the Famalicão Cidade Aberta conference on April 26, organised by the Casa da Memória Viva.
The initiative aims to stimulate critical thinking and understand how citizens are positioning themselves in the face of future challenges, such as climate, demographics, economics and technology.
The conference will feature three discussion panels with a number of guest speakers, including Jorge Moreira da Silva, undersecretary-general of the United Nations, José Carlos Bomtempo, chief creative officer at advertising agency BAR Ogilvy, D. Jorge Ortiga, archbishop emeritus of Braga and João Cerejeira, economist and university professor.
Registration is free and can be done at www.memoriaviva.pt.
