It was precisely 45 years ago that the first Wall of Hope was built in Madeira, by the hands of former regional secretary João Carlos Abreu, the main promoter of the Flower Festival as a tourist attraction.
After these years, the Wall that promotes the hope of a better world, of peace, has been attracting thousands of children, many of whom are now adults who take their children to place a flower in the space created in Largo do Município.
The regional secretary for Tourism and Culture began his statements to journalists, with recognition for the event’s promoter. “It has been 45 years since this Wall of Hope initiative began, at the hands of João Carlos Abreu. It was in 1979” that it all started.
Eduardo Jesus highlighted “the very special moment”, which was being experienced this morning, in Largo do Município do Funchal, due to the “very strong message passed on to us by the children, of hope for our future and, at the same time, with the gesture of to lay a flower on the Wall of Hope, that we need to reflect on the circumstances we currently live in, in an environment of conflict and war that devastates Europe”.
Despite this reflection, the government official highlighted “the joy of bringing school children to participate in a party that has become the most important event in Madeira”.
The government official recalled the commitment to extend the event throughout the month of May, with several initiatives taking place, mainly, on the weekends. Eduardo Jesus said that during this period “Madeira is very popular, with 95% occupancy on all Flower Festival weekends. Which means that this is an event that responds well to people’s interests when they are looking for their holiday destinations,” he analyzed.
In fact, in addition to many Madeirans accompanying the procession and laying of flowers on the Wall of Hope, there were also countless tourists who were enchanted by the event and the beauty of the children and the flowers.
On the other hand, Eduardo Jesus commented that the Region has to import many plants for this month of May, since producers in the Region are unable to respond alone. A situation that the governor said was normal, given that the island imports most of its products.
“It’s perfectly natural, we import practically everything we consume and flowers are no exception”, he stated, highlighting that this reality is also “a great opportunity for traders to be very well earned by them. Good thing there is a Flower Festival, which allows them to import and sell what is ours. It is a good economic impact that is left by the event”.
It should be noted that around 700 children from five educational establishments participated in the procession and Wall of Hope, namely the ‘City of Toys’ nursery, the João de Deus School Garden, the Baby Refúgio, the Santa Luísa de Marillac Foundation nursery and the International School of Madeira. Also including children from the Ponta do Sol Folklore School and the Children and Youth Folklore Group of the Camacha Cultural and Recreational Association.
