The Autonomous Region of the Azores will be honoured at the 62nd Porto Alegre Book Fair, which begins Friday, October 28, in this Brazilian city founded by Azoreans in the 18th century.
The Azores, their literature and their writers are distinguished this year by virtue of the strong historical relation, the Azorean cultural heritage of the Gauchos and the institutional and emotional ties between the Region and this Southern state of Brazil. With this initiative, the Rio Grande Book Chamber also intends to mark the 40th anniversary of Azorean Autonomy.
In this regard, the Government of the Azores has created a vast programme focused on Azorean themes for Porto Alegre Book Fair. It will bring the best of the archipelago's culture and literature to the South of Brazil, through a multitude of events organised in partnership with local entities, paying tribute to the emotional and historical ties between both regions and to the Azores as well.
Hence, the programme developed by the Azores for this relevant literary event includes the presence of Azorean writers residing in the Azores, Mainland Portugal and the Diaspora communities, who will attend the event at the invitation of the Regional Government: Eduíno de Jesus, Vasco Pereira da Costa, Madalena San- Bento, Paula de Sousa Lima, Urbano Bettencourt, Nuno Costa Santos, Francisco Cota Fagundes and Joel Neto.
For three weeks, these writers will take part in various presentations and public meetings on topics such as "Azorean Literature and its History," "Azores: guide for a movement of approach" and "New Azorean Literature" as well as in meetings with local publishers, among other initiatives.
The programme dedicated to the Azores, organised by the Regional Directorates for Communities and Culture, will also feature the collaboration of Brazilian scholars and writers with strong ties to the Azores, such as Vera Barroso and Luiz Antônio Assis Brasil. Both writers will speak at the conference "'Azoreanity' in Southern Brazil: History, Literature and Culture." Furthermore, there will also be a conference on genealogy, a topic of great interest to the Azorean community in Southern Brazil; it will be delivered by historian and genealogist Jorge Forjaz.
The House of the Azores of Rio Grande do Sul will be represented at the event by its president, Celia Jachemet. It is a partner institution in this project, having organised several performances by local artists of Azorean descent, especially for the session "Tribute to Azoreans," and provided support to the operation of the Azores stand.
The programme organised by the Regional Government with the support of the Book Fair also includes the Azores Contemporary Film Show - AMOSTRAM’ISSE and the screening of the documentary titled as "The Autonomic Travel." The official opening of the Fair will be preceded by the opening of the painting exhibition under the title "The Tenth Island" by Pedro Gaspar at the Cultural Historical Centre of Santa Casa de Porto Alegre.
The Autonomous Region of the Azores will have its own stand, provided by the Book Fair organisation, which will be located in the international area of the event. It will display and sell several relevant publications on Azorean culture and literature from regional publishers participating in the fair or represented at the event through its writers, including Companhia das Ilhas, Publiçor/Letras Lavadas, Turiscom e Veraçor. Moreover, the cultural institutes of the Region will also take part in the event: Azorean Institute of Culture, Ponta Delgada Cultural Institute, Historical Institute of Terceira and Horta Cultural Centre.
The Porto Alegre Book Fair is considered to be the oldest literary showcase organised on a regular basis in Brazil since 1955 and is largest outdoor book fair in South America. It has an estimated audience of 1.5 million people. In this context, the Region's stand, with an area over 50 m2, features a space dedicated to the Azores Tourism for the screening of promotional videos and dissemination of several publications.
The official opening ceremony of the 62nd Porto Alegre Book Fair takes place Friday at Carlos Urbim Theatre and will be attended by the Regional Director for Communities, Paulo Teves. The event is promoted by the Ministry of Culture of Brazil, the Secretary of State for Culture and Rio Grande Book Chamber.
This major cultural event is divided into three areas - General, International and Children and Youth - and has about 100 stands that will offer books of all genres. The fair also features a series of free cultural activities with writers, illustrators, reading mediators, storytellers and other guests, as well as book signings, seminars, debates and round tables.
The Brazilian city of Porto Alegre was founded by 60 Azorean couples who arrived on the banks of the Guaiba River in the mid-18th century, which was then designated as São Francisco do Porto dos Casais.
The "Monument to the Azoreans of Porto Alegre" is located in the capital of the most important state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is one of the largest monuments of South America and contains the following inscription "Jamais sonhariam aqueles casais açorianos que, da semente que lançavam ao solo, nasceria o esplendor desta cidade" (Never would those Azorean couples dream that the splendour of this city would spring from the seeds they sowed).