The Government of the Azores, trough the Regional Directorate for the Communities, will celebrate the International Migrants Day, next Saturday, December 18, with several public activities taking place in the city of Praia da Vitória, island of Terceira.
The day before and on that same day, the Regional Network of Municipal Contacts meets for the first time, a Network that intends to complement the public attendance services provided by the Regional Directorate for the Communities in the cities of Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo and Horta.
This first meeting has an informative purpose and aims to enable a contact point in all the City Councils of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in order to provide a closer and more effective informative support that contributes to the reception and integration of migrant citizens in the Azorean society.
In the same meeting, the Vice-Presidency of the Government will edit and present the Migrants Guide, a route map of useful information to foreign citizens who want to live and work in the Azores. The program for the celebration on the 18th initiate with a session at the Noble Room of the City Hall of Praia da Vitória, at 4pm.
This session marks the conclusion of the establishment of the Regional Network of Municipal Contacts, with the public presentation of the Migrants Guide, edited in a printed version, an internet webpage and an App.
At 5pm, it begins the “Walk for Interculturality”, which is open to the participation of the general public. The walk starts at the Square Francisco Ornelas da Câmara, next to the City Hall and finishes at the “Christmas Village”, in the tent set up at the marina of Praia da Vitória, where the rest of the event takes place. The walk is followed by the “Interculturality Festival” that includes a multicultural concert, at 6pm, with the performance of the band Jaime Goth Trio, formed by Cape Verdeans and Azoreans, from the islands of São Miguel and Faial.
There will also be available a “World Flavors’ Tasting”, promoted in partnership with AIPA – Association of Immigrants in the Azores, where you can taste, starting at 12pm, the main traditional delicacies from Angola, Brasil, Cape Vert, Russia and Venezuela. At the same time, there is a “Handicraft Exhibition”, organized by the City Council of Praia da Vitória, with the participation of several artisans residing on the island of Terceira, some of which are from other countries.
Transportation will be available for those who want to participate in these initiatives, with a maximum capacity for 50 people, on the route from Angra do Heroísmo to Praia da Vitória, at 4:15pm (next to the court house) and from Praia da Vitória to Angra do Heroísmo, at 9:30pm (at the tent in the marina).
These celebrations intend to promote the good relationship and a better understanding between the different people and cultures existing in the Region, by fostering the interculturality and by honoring the life journey of all migrants.
The regional celebrations of the Migrants Day are organized by the Vice-Presidency of the Government of the Azores/ Regional Directorate for the Communities, within the European project REGIN – Regions for Migrants and Refugees Integration and are carried out in partnership with the City Council of Praia da Vitória and AIPA – Association of Immigrants in the Azores.
The International Migrants Day was proclaimed in 2000 by the General Assembly of the United Nations and is marked every year on December 18 to raise awareness among the international community to the defense of the migrants’ rights throughout the world.
