The fourth edition of the seminar “Faial: Discovering History, Thinking about the Future” will take place from November 6 to 22. This comprehensive program of activities related to history and heritage also seeks to reflect on the challenges of the present.
This initiative, organized by the Faial Sustainable Tourism Association and Horta Histórica, includes conferences, round tables, history courses, guided tours, and activities with schools.
Democracy will be the central theme of the program in the year that marks the 50th anniversary of the 25 April revolution. Over the course of three weeks, we will discover and debate how the concepts of democracy and participation have evolved over time, analyzing historical events that have marked the evolution of political and philosophical systems and that have allowed us to live in a democracy today.
Alongside this central theme, we will also explore topics related to artistic projects with the community, literature, and underwater archaeological heritage.


The opening session, which will be attended by representatives of the Regional Government of the Azores and the Horta City Council, will take place on November 6, in the Auditorium of the Horta Public Library, at 6pm, with the round table “Thinking Democracy Today,” which will discuss the role of civic participation in our democracy and how citizens feel (or not) their power to intervene in decision-making. Topics such as representativeness, participation, social movements, associations, and direct democracy will be central to this round table, including the participation of Ricardo Serrão Santos, José Carlos Mota, and Paulo Vitorino Fontes.
Also in the first week, on October 7, there will be the round table “Memories of April: Faial before, during and after 1974”, where Fernando Faria Ribeiro, José António Martins Goulart and Berta Tavares will talk about what economic, social and political life was like in the Azores before 1974 and what it was like to live through the hours and days that followed the coup d’état and the Revolution on the island of Faial and in the region.
On the 8th, the film “Revolution (without) Blood” will be screened, with director Rui Pedro Sousa in attendance.
In the second week, between November 11 and 13, we will have the history course “Regimes and Revolutions in Portuguese History: the long road to Democracy”, taught by Tiago Simões da Silva, aimed at the general public.

On November 15, José Miguel Sardica will talk about António José de Ávila (Duke of Ávila and Bolama) and Manuel de Arriaga (first President of the Portuguese Republic), two people from Faial who made essential contributions to the construction of democracy in Portugal. On the 16th, Sardica will also lead a city tour to visit the main points linked to António José de Ávila.
The last week will feature events on culture, artistic creation, cultural heritage, and tourism. On November 18, Luiz Fagundes Duarte will hold a conference on the theme “Horta in Literature,” which addresses the city of Horta in literary works, especially by authors with national or international prominence. On November 20, there will be a conversation with António Pedro Lopes, Vânia Chagas, and Pedro Lucas, cultural agents who work on various islands of the archipelago and who have sought to combine tradition and innovation in the creation of artistic projects with the community. On the 22nd, to close the seminar, there will be a round table dedicated to the region’s underwater archaeological heritage and how we can enhance this heritage as a cultural tourism product.
This program aims to be a plural and dynamic event where civil society finds space for open debate and the exchange of ideas to create local development strategies.

in Diário dos Açores-Osvaldo Cabral, 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.