The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture stated today that the “dissemination of culture” is also “at the forefront” of the fight against poverty.

Avelino Meneses spoke at the signing ceremony of the collaboration agreement between the Regional Directorate for Culture and the Executive Council of the National Plan for the Arts, pointing out culture, in addition to schooling, as a “pillar of community development.”

In this regard, he considered that this “justifies” the signing of the protocols, valid for a period of four years, which, through the Carlos Machado Museum, involve the Rabo de Peixe and Maia Basic Education Schools on the island of S. Miguel.

"At this time of globalisation, hostile to the recognition of specificities, the individualisation of an Azorean identity is an asset for the archipelago, which translates into moral superiority and social progress."

The collaboration agreement now signed aims, in a first phase, to extend the National Plan for the Arts (PNA) to the Azores, with this commitment being fulfilled through the "From Fenais to Fenais: Matrix Culture of Local Development" project. It will take place between 2020 and 2024 and will be developed by the Carlos Machado Museum, through a series of pilot actions included in the three axes of the PNA strategic action.

In a second phase, the agreement provides for the establishments of the general rules of collaboration between the Executive Council of PNA and the Carlos Machado Museum with a view to extending this national plan to Rabo de Peixe and Maia Basic Education Schools.

Accordingly, this goal will be achieved with the implementation of actions included in the plan's strategic action axis in coordination with creative, cultural and artistic skills, as they support the close dialogue between the cultural, natural and social heritage of São Miguel's rural and coastal parishes, namely Fenais da Luz, Rabo de Peixe, Porto Formoso, Maia and Fenais da Ajuda.

The PNA is a governmental mission structure for the areas of Culture and Education with the 2019-2029 time frame. It has as its mission to promote social transformation, mobilising the educational power of the arts and heritage in the lives of citizens, for all and with each one.

The main goals of this plan are focused on guaranteeing the access and participation of citizens in the enjoyment of the arts and cultural production, expanding the educational cultural offer, and promoting knowledge, integration and the encounter of cultures.

The PNA works in conjunction with the National Reading Plan, the National Film Plan, the National Aesthetic and Artistic Education Programme, the School Library Network Programme and the Portuguese Museum Network, enhancing their joint action.