Portal da Açorianidade

The President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, was welcomed to Bermuda’s House of the Azores during his official visit, which runs until Tuesday. This meeting takes place on a significant date, as this year marks the 175th anniversary of official Azorean emigration to Bermuda, which began in 1849. The Bermuda House of the Azores, founded on March 10, 2015, has played a key role in preserving and promoting Azorean culture and heritage in the Atlantic archipelago. The leader of the Azorean Executive took the opportunity to highlight the role of the Houses of the Azores around the world, which he described as “true embassies of the Azores and Azoreanness”. According to José Manuel Bolieiro, these institutions have taken on an extremely important mission by “keeping alive the connection between the Azorean communities abroad and their roots, traditions and cultural values”. They are also, he adds, an essential link that strengthens the relationship between the region and its vast diaspora. For José Manuel Bolieiro, the Houses of the Azores are “cultural bridges that perpetuate memory, ensure the continuity of autonomous values and foster a sense of belonging”. He stressed the importance of a close and fruitful relationship between the Azores and Bermuda, given the deep historical and cultural ties that unite both peoples: around 20% of Bermuda’s resident population is of Portuguese origin, with the vast majority (90%) being of Azorean descent. “The Azoreans helped build Bermuda’s success,” said José Manuel Bolieiro, highlighting the invaluable contribution that this community has made to the territory’s economic and social development. With the rapprochement between the governments of the Azores and Bermuda, José Manuel Bolieiro stressed that it is possible to achieve a more solid and beneficial future for both communities. The President of the Government of the Azores also extended an official invitation to the Prime Minister of Bermuda, David Burt, to visit the Azores, “in the name of the past and for the sake of the future”. This cooperation, the President of the Government believes, will enable progress to be made in various areas, such as environmental and sustainability policies. “The world’s islands need to come together to set a good example to the rest of the world,” he said, stressing that ‘island nations must set an example in terms of sustainability’. José Manuel Bolieiro also encouraged the Azorean diaspora in Bermuda to consider the Azores as a “region of opportunities”, a land that has seen strong growth and offers favorable conditions for investment. “It’s worth investing in the Azores,” he said, explaining that the region is at a stage of development that could generate significant benefits for those who choose to invest in its islands. José Manuel Bolieiro also acknowledged the progress that the Azores have made, as a result of the work of successive governments and the invaluable contribution of its communities, both in the archipelago and in the diaspora. “We have evolved a lot in the Azores with everyone’s contribution, we are much better today and we will be even better tomorrow,” he concluded.