Vice-President of the Government opened exhibition on Luís Vaz de Camões at Capitães-Generais Palace - Communication

Vice-Presidência do Governo Regional

The Vice-President of the Regional Government, Artur Lima, presided over the opening of the exhibition "A Popular Classic: Camões in the Azores" on May 30 at the Capitães-Generais Palace in Angra do Heroísmo.

"Luís Vaz de Camões and his work are an indelible part of the collective imagination of the people of Terceira, and of all Azoreans, as clearly demonstrated by this exhibition," noted Artur Lima. 

The book collections of José do Canto and José Afonso Botelho de Andrade, exhibited for the first time on Terceira Island, "are evidence of this," stated the Vice-President of the Government.

Regarding Luís Vaz de Camões, "biographies, biographies of biographies, stories and myths have been written, and thousands of hypotheses have been put forward." The poet "navigated worlds that were then distant and uncertain, perhaps the only one among his peers to do so at the time," he reflected.

"Camões’ poetry bore witness to a historical context in which new worlds were being revealed - the world of discoveries," pointed out Artur Lima. During this period, the bay of Angra do Heroísmo was a "shelter and a haven," he continued.

For the Vice-President, "it is not surprising that much has been said about the possibility that Camões passed by Terceira on his return from India."

As for the "eternal question of whether Terceira is indeed the Island of Love from 'Os Lusíadas,' we will probably never know," stated Artur Lima, before challenging those present: 

"Let us leave this question in our imagination as a starting point, not only to think about Camões and his work but also to think about the island, in particular, and the Azores, in general, and their role today."

The opening session programme featured a lecture by José Augusto Bernardes, General Commissioner of the Mission Structure for the Celebration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Luis de Camões on the theme "Celebrating Camões... still." At the end of the ceremony, there was a first guided tour by Professor Maria do Céu Fraga.

The exhibition is promoted by the Vice-Presidency of the Regional Government, in partnership with the Ponta Delgada Public Library and Regional Archive and the Centre for Humanistic Studies of the University of the Azores.

The exhibition will be open to all interested parties from today until October 31.