The President of the Regional Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, chaired, on Sunday, in Horta, the commemorative session of the 25 years of the World Azores Houses Council (CMCA)’s foundation, a “magnificent moment of affection and celebration”.
The President highlighted that the Azores Houses are the “extension” of every Azorean’s or Azorean descendant’s house and comprise a “feeling of belonging, identity, and cultural reference”.
At the time, the President of the Government said he had the “ambition” to ensure, in constitutional revision, the Azorean emigrants’ vote in regional parliamentary elections.
“We will work for this upcoming development. It is a strengthening of presence and identity”, he sustained.
Besides Alzira Silva, the first Regional Director for the Communities and CMCA’s founder, and Rúben Santos, former President of Algarve Azores House and representative of the Council founders, some of the representatives of the Azores Houses over the world attended this event in the city of Horta.
The hybrid session occurred with the presence or virtual participation of the presidents of the 15 Azores Houses that are located in Portugal, Brazil, United States of America, Canada, Uruguay and Bermuda.
The World Azores Houses Council was founded on November 13, 1997, at a meeting held at the former Pousada de Santa Cruz, in the city of Horta, with the participation of the Azores Houses of Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, California, Quebec, North, São Paulo, Toronto, New England, Algarve, and Coimbra.
This body, symbolically representative of the azoreanity in the world, aims at developing activities that contribute to the affirmation of the Azores and its diaspora, and the increase of social, cultural and economic relations between the archipelago and the regions where the Azores Houses are located. .
With a rotating presidency assumed among its members and currently held by Santa Catarina Azores House, this Council happens annually in a general meeting in person to, among other powers, discuss the activity and the challenges of the Azores Houses, decide on the attribution of merit badges, or consider new member admission proposals.
