The President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores (ALRAA), Luís Garcia, yesterday called on all Azoreans, especially young people, to “preserve, nurture and honor the legacy of April, protecting its values and defending its rights.”
“History teaches us that freedom, democracy and even Autonomy are fragile achievements that require constant commitment to be preserved and strengthened,” defended the President of the Legislative Assembly at the seventh edition of the “Conversas de Abril” gathering, which took place yesterday morning in the Salão Nobre of the Angra do Heroísmo Town Hall, stressing that “50 years on from that Revolution, we cannot take the achievements for granted”.
The President of the Azorean Parliament also said that the aim of this initiative is to “reflect on this legacy of April 25 and, especially, on our Autonomy, its achievements and challenges over this journey of almost 50 years”, which is why it has toured various islands, with testimonies from various personalities, “which has greatly contributed to enriching our understanding of the profound and lasting impact of this historic transformation on our country and the Azores”.
Yesterday’s gathering, moderated by the director of the newspaper Diário Insular, José Lourenço, was marked by the testimonies of the former presidents of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, José Reis Leite, Dionísio Sousa and the former member of the Legislative Assembly, Maria Lopes, who gave a first-person account of the atmosphere in the Azores before and after the Revolution, especially the political, economic and social evolution of the region and the challenges faced over the decades.
It is worth remembering that the “Conversas de Abril” is part of the program organized by the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores to commemorate the 50th anniversary of 25 April 1974.
The seventh session took place on the island of Terceira as part of the Sanjoaninas 2024, which this year is dedicated to the theme “Angra: your name is Freedom.”

in Diário Insular, José Lurenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES