The collaboration agreement, as part of the celebrations for the bicentenary of the writer's birth, was signed on Thursday 16 January in Seide S. Miguel (Vila Nova de Famalicão), precisely in the house where he lived with Ana Plácido and their children from the winter of 1863 until his death in 1890.

‘The work and genius of Camilo Castelo Branco go beyond the borders of Famalicão,’ said the mayor of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Mário Passos, who was present at the formalisation of this partnership, which took place at the Camilo House-Museum. 

‘This protocol mobilises the northern region, a territory strongly linked to his life and work, for the commemorations of the bicentenary of the birth of a genius of Portuguese literature and language. (...) It will allow us to give him a new lease of life and develop the conditions for his memory to live on and his works to win over new readers,’ said the mayor.

Representatives attended the public ceremony, organised by the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDRN), from 14 municipalities, universities and organisations linked to culture, literature, journalism and tourism in the north of Portugal.

‘This constellation of institutions, present here, is a symbol and testimony of Camilo's memory and reticulated but very comprehensive presence in northern management, and a hopeful force in the bicentenary celebrations (...) the map of the North is confused with the literary geography and life of Camilo Castelo Branco,’ mentioned the president of CCDR Norte, António Cunha, who also noted the location chosen for the formalisation of this collective commitment. ‘Seide has a very special aura,’ he said, commenting that the CCDRN will continue to mobilise efforts with the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage so that the creation of a “special protection zone for Camilo's House” becomes a reality.

The vice-president of CCDR NORTE for the areas of Culture and Heritage, Jorge Sobrado, took the opportunity to point out that ‘the primary objective of an event like this is to win over readers, awaken and train new Camillians (...) the region (North) is united and recognises Camilo Castelo Branco as its great symbolic cartographer’. Jorge Sobrado said that the plan for the commemorations will include the dynamisation of new acts of artistic creation, giving as examples a feature film, produced by Paulo Branco, about ‘Memórias do Cárcere’, a dance show inspired by various paintings from Camilo's life and work, an original opera inspired by ‘Amor de Perdição’ and the re-edition of Camillian works. A ‘democratic and popular cultural programme, for everyone (...) the CCDR Norte will never carry out any initiative alone, it will always be in an attitude of collaboration, in a logic of itinerancy and co-production’, he stressed.

It should be noted that through this protocol, which is coordinated by the CCDR Norte and involves around three dozen northern institutions, the aim is to promote inter-institutional cooperation with a view to organising, boosting and promoting a shared and integrated agenda of cultural, artistic, scientific and dissemination initiatives in the northern region, in the context of the bicentenary of the life and work of Camilo Castelo Branco, to be held predominantly between 16 March 2025 and 16 March 2026.

The collective project, labelled ‘Camilo 200 a Norte’, can be followed on social media (@camiloanorte200) and on the website that will be created shortly.