The Municipality of Condeixa-a-Nova presented, last Saturday, the general program of the Popular Celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the 25th of April 1974, which aims to mobilize and involve the entire population around an eclectic, broad and duly striking program of the historic event that this year turns half a century old.
With the celebrations already underway, the program includes lectures and debates, exhibitions, concerts, book launches, among other initiatives, designed to involve all audiences.
“As this is an important date, this year we wanted to extend the programming period and try, as far as possible, to reach the entire population, from the youngest to the youngest, with initiatives and events of a diverse nature and involving schools, Parish Councils, associative movement and, of course, the population”, highlighted Nuno Moita, president of the Municipal Council of Condeixa-a-Nova, revealing that it is a “living program, in constant evolution, with the entry of new initiatives, that will surprise the Condeixenses”.
The program is organized by the Commission for the Promotion of Popular Celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of April 25, 1974 in the Municipality of Condeixa-a-Nova, designated by the Municipal Assembly of Condeixa, to design and implement the set of events, with funding from the municipality.
As the month of April approaches, the pace of planned initiatives will accelerate, with special emphasis on the April 25th holiday, the day on which, in addition to the usual solemn session at Condeixa City Council, an afternoon event will be held. the “Tell me how it was” event aimed at families.
On the same day, right after the solemn session, the book “Condeixenses prisoners by PIDE” will be launched, written by Paulo Jorge Marques da Silva, with a presentation by Artur Mendonça, integrated in the cycle “Books of the struggle that makes us more human”. Other literary works will be presented to the public throughout the year.
The night before, on the 24th, the PO.RO.S Museum joins the celebration of freedom with the “April Walls” event.
Schools are also called to participate, with a Parade on April 25th, with costumes and accessories created with the support of teachers, staff, students and parents’ associations, scheduled for April 19th, at 10 am, through the streets of Condeixa. .
Still in the week before the holiday, between April 21st and 25th, restaurants in Condeixa also make a point of marking the anniversary, offering a “Revolution Menu”, with a menu of traditional Portuguese snacks from the past, such as sardines and fried horse mackerel, green broth, roast sirloin, among other suggestions.
The figure of Mário Soares will be remembered in these celebrations and in the centenary of the historic political leader. On April 14th, the lecture “Soares e Namora – Friendship, Literature and Politics before and after April 25th” will take place at the City Hall, with José Manuel Mendes from the Portuguese Writers Association. On the same day, the exhibition “Laços e Carnations: Fernando Namora and Mário Soares – Comrades for and in Freedom” opens at the Casa Museu Fernando Namora.
In May, the highlight goes to the concert presentation of “Opereta 25 de Abril – A cantiga é uma arma”, by the Choir and Orchestra of the Condeixa-a-Nova School Group, under the direction of maestro Mário Alves, with the presence of more than 200 students on stage, on May 1st, at 6pm at City Hall.
The cycle of lectures and debates, promoted as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of April 25th, will continue in the coming months, with new actions already scheduled. The next one will be dedicated to mental health, with speaker Marcelo Azeredo Rodrigo from the Salesian University of Rome, who will address “Democratic Community Treatment in Mental Health. Theories, practices a parallel with ecomuseology” (April 5, at 3 pm, in the main hall of the City Council). Also in April, “Economic development after April 25, 1974 and the ambition of a competitive Portugal” will be discussed, with speaker Carlos F. Alves, vice-president of the SEDES Coordinating Council and professor at the Faculty of Economics of Porto (April 19, at 3pm at City Hall). This will be followed by the lecture “Encounter of Cultures – Identities on Stage”, with Idalino Simões, from the Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission (April 21st, at 5pm, at the City Hall). In June, architect Paulo Providência is the guest of the cycle of lectures and debates to address the expansion and remodeling project of the National Museum of Conimbriga.
The Eng. Jorge Bento Municipal Library will host, between April 1st and 30th, the exhibition “Livros da Censura”, with a set of works censored and banned by the Estado Novo regime and on April 6th it will open the exhibition “April with art. Vergílio Correia 1923”, dedicated to the archive of glass plate photographs of the professor and historian. On May 2, the Library hosts the photography exhibition “April 25 – Paredes de Liberdade”, provided by the International Literary Festival of the Interior (FLIT).
It should be noted that the Commission Promoting the Popular Celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of April 25, 1974 in the Municipality of Condeixa-a-Nova is made up of the Municipality of Condeixa, Associação EcoMuseu de Condeixa, Movement for the Promotion of Conimbriga’s Candidacy for World Heritage UNESCO, Vergílio Correia Study Center and Condeixa-a-Nova School Group.
