Let’s start by going back to the end of last March to frame the premise that brings us here today. In that last week of the month, there were a few episodes of interest for the future of our archipelago that ended up being drowned out by the deafening noise of political debates and the cheap populism peddling by the people who claim to represent our people.

A few weeks ago, Alonso Miguel, Regional Secretary for the Environment and Glyphosate, came to my mother island to sit down with the people of Flores and talk about yet another of the many problems that have been felt there in recent years. The threat lies in the possible cutting off of access to one of the most environmentally important sites in our archipelago, in other words, in the country and in the world: the Ribeira do Ferreiro well, with damaging consequences for the natural balance of the entire ecosystem.

It’s a space that brings together a vast array of natural features and is an authentic monument, with the potential to be properly classified and valued, not only in the sense of being protected, but also enhanced as a tool to stimulate sustainable tourism and economic development on the peripheral reality of the island of Flores. A proper treatment of the Ribeira do Ferreiro could be the starting point for a whole new environmental strategy in the region, to make up for lost time, thrown away in recent years, and to rescue a shred of professional ethics from that political office, which has already been burned to the ground with herbicides due to recent legislative setbacks.

On March 26, 2025, a group of informed and very concerned citizens presented the office of the President of the Regional Government of the Azores with a manifesto and petition requesting the executive leader’s attention to the case in question. The people who bravely signed the document prepared a detailed justification, presenting various problems and putting forward arguments to justify their concerns. They end with a long list of questions that remained unanswered during Alonso Miguel’s visit to Flores.

What remained of that official and pompous trip was nothing more than a promise. Or several. In recent years, José Manuel Bolieiro’s administration has become accustomed to promising a lot and delivering little. From commitment to commitment, these politicians push results under the carpet, protected by the certainty that almost no one will look at their execution rates. The people of the Azores will be more occupied discussing the caricature episodes that a particular party is playing, which weakens our democracy and serves as a distraction and a scapegoat.

This is how the coalition remained in power in the last elections, and this is how Albuquerque survived, strengthened in Madeira, and Montenegro hopes to survive in Lisbon. The PSD and its satellites use a magic trick to fool the electorate. What they forget to do is look behind their backs because otherwise, they would have noticed the knives that Mr. Ventura’s bench is sharpening. It may be too late when they realize they are the gravediggers of freedom.

And speaking of freedom, the other case that needs to be mentioned, at the end of March this year, is the “Great Debate” on culture, which took place at the Lar Doce Livro bookstore/café on the 29th. It was attended by representatives of four institutions with cultural agency positions on the island of Terceira and a projection to the rest of the archipelago. No one was there for cultural heritage, but that was an assumed oversight. There was talk of culture and its role. We heard arguments from the 19th century, trying to create wars between the popular role and the erudite, but without much success. We recalled the absolute incompetence of the authorities in recent years and how those responsible for the portfolio promised to present new strategies that never reached the light of day, nor public consultation. In the current situation, with the regional director underestimated and no cultural voice emanating from the Secretary’s office, we can only assume that it was yet another promise without a result.

Along the way, the atrocious coffee table rants on social media echoed. Culture remains in the sights of those who want to control it behind the scenes. Publicly, it is reduced to threats, censorship, and empty, meaningless promises. That was the conclusion, well known by now, and reproduced by the moment of debate.

But that Saturday afternoon also served to honor the role of Lar Doce Livro in building a new vision for the Azores. In the absence of an active response from the Regional Directorate for Culture, it has been that bookshop, and a few other institutions scattered around the archipelago, that have taken on the role of continuing to hold the rudder of the drifting boat. After being confronted with a series of unfortunate public episodes, Joel Neto and Marta Cruz have taken the storm in their stride and surfed the Adamastor of the booksellers, gaining a position of prominence that is now impossible to deny.

On March 29, while culture was being discussed, the anniversary of Lar Doce Livro was also being celebrated. A year after the controversies preceding its inauguration, it remains stronger and more popular. Just like the people of Flores, who weren’t afraid to sign demands and didn’t give up in the face of unfulfilled promises, this is where freedom is made and a better world is built. To the people of Flores and the Lar Doce Livro family, here’s a message of support so we can continue.

Alexandra Manes is from Flores Island but lives in Terceira Island, Azores. She is a regular contributing writer for several Azorean newspapers, a political and cultural activist, and has served in the Azorean Parliament.

NOVIDADES will feature occasional opinion pieces from various leading thinkers and writers from the Azores to give the diaspora and those interested in the current Azores a sense of the significant opinions on some of the archipelago’s issues.

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).