Angra do Heroísmo city councillor Fátima Amorim (and mayoral candidate) said, “One of the greatest challenges of our time is to ensure that ageing is lived with quality, dignity, and active participation in society.”
Fátima Amorim was speaking as part of the 1st International Congress on Ageing in the Azores, which took place this month in São Bento, Angra do Heroísmo.
The event began with a musical performance by the Allegro Choir and the Choir of the Universidade Sénior – Academia Oeste.
Ricardo Pocinho, president of ANGES, Arnaldo Teixeira, treasurer of the São Bento parish council, Fátima Amorim, Angra councilwoman, and Mónica Seidi, regional secretary for Health and Social Security, attended the opening ceremony.
One of the highlights of the congress was the international round table, “Ageing around the world,” which discussed perspectives from Cape Verde and Spain. Maria Natalina Silva and Juan José Fernández Muñoz participated.
The congress was divided into three thematic panels: “Are old people no longer happy?”, which focused on the relationship between ageing, well-being, and personal reinvention; “When do we become old?” which demystified preconceptions about ageing with an inspiring and motivational approach; and “Is happiness the way or the arrival?”, an intimate panel on spirituality, mental health, and the meaning of life in old age.
At the closing ceremony, Francisco Melo, vice president of ANGES, reflected on the role of institutions in promoting the happiness of older people.
Distinctions of social merit – gold degree – were also awarded to the Angra do Heroísmo City Council and to personalities who have been outstanding in their contribution to valuing age and culture: Vasco Pernes, Luís Filipe Borges, Luís Godinho, Diniz Borges, José Júlio Rocha, and Carlos Alberto Moniz, who performed the “Hymn of Active Ageing”, composed especially for this occasion.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço 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.