The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture defended in Ponta Delgada that, at a "time of globalisation," the Azoreans must know how to safeguard their identity in terms of preserving and promoting their culture.
 
Avelino Meneses spoke at the signing ceremony of a cooperation protocol between the Regional Directorate for Culture and the National Association of Villages (ANAFRE). On the occasion, he conveyed his belief that the collaboration between both identities may contribute to this goal by preserving and stimulating culture, "from the largest centres to peripheral areas."
 
For the Secretary for Education and Culture, it is important that this initiative is taking place in 2018, when the European Year of Cultural Heritage is being marked. As he emphasised, this celebration "should be a real cultural shock" against the degradation and disappearance of a multiplicity of traces of the past that "contribute to the understanding of the present and to the projection of the future,"
 
For Avelino Meneses, there are "many and serious" heritage threats, such as "the corrosion of nature, the pressure of society and the economy, including the impact of globalisation, which accentuates the crisis of values."
 
In this context, he stressed that the "awareness" of the whole community, particularly the mobilisation of youth, is "urgent" through the "inclusion of cultural heritage themes in education and research, with some reinforcement of official investment."
 
Moreover, Avelino Meneses emphasised the cultural relevance of the protocol now signed, highlighting the work to be carried out in local museum projects, which he considered to be "decisive in the characterisation of the territory, the character of the people and the history of communities." According to him, they "provide a great contribution to maintenance and recognition of the identity of the people."
 
According to the Regional Secretary, "the promotion of books and reading" will be encouraged by the creation of the "Reading Azores" programme, an initiative addressed to audiences, is also of equal cultural importance.
 
The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture expressed his "confidence" in the usefulness of the cooperation tool to be implemented in conjunction with ANAFRE, as "villages are the prime example of local power," giving "voice to the aspirations and needs of the people."
 
The protocol was signed by the Regional Director for Culture, Nuno Ribeiro Lopes, and the president of ANAFRE in the Azores, Jaime Rita. It aims to regulate the terms under which cooperation between both institutions is developed, with a view to achieving a series of actions for the development, dissemination, promotion and diversification of the cultural offer in the Azores.