Café Aliança reopened its doors to the public yesterday, Monday, thanks to Paulo Neves' PS candidacy for the Chamber of Faro. For now, only the main room of the centenary café from Faro, an ex-libris of the city that was closed for more than three years, is open to the public, with no access to the area that used to function as a tobacconist.
In front of a room where socialist militants and supporters of the PS candidacy predominated, but where there were also some curious people, Paulo Neves took the opportunity to make a clear campaign speech, where there was no lack of promises.
One of them was that Aliança will have its doors open every day and will continue to do so, "regardless of the outcome of the local elections." "As long as my personal condition and the contract allow it, that is, that it remains in the current conditions, under no circumstances will Aliança terminate", guaranteed the PS candidate to Faro, on the sidelines of the coffee's reopening session.
Stressing that he is not “the owner of Aliança”, but rather the tenant of the space that has to support “a monthly income”, Paulo Neves said that his desire “is that Aliança, in the future, have owners or explorers who can do more. » of what you are currently doing.
To get the centenary coffee from Faro back to work, Paulo Neves' candidacy had to invest in improvements and equipment.
“The investment will be incorporated as a campaign expense and everything will be publicized. Instead of having more posters and billboards, we invest here», he said.
But the recovery of Aliança was not just a question of money, it was also a union of wills, with many people and businessmen collaborating.
«All we did was with people from the city of Faro. Some wanted to offer, others made discounts, there were those who offered material and others labor. All the phone calls I made asking for collaboration, none of them refused. And I must say that part of them will not be supporters of the PS at all, they just like Aliança», he said.
“In honor of these, Aliança will not have any party symbol exposed until September 29, without prejudice to holding meetings and other actions on Faro. All Portuguese and foreigners who visit us will only find a leaflet explaining what happened in Faro since 1908 and what passed to the Alliance. He doesn't talk about PS or elections," he assured.
Attending Aliança is like riding a bicycle
Despite having been closed for years, the spirit of Café Aliança seems to have remained very much alive during that period. At a time when the ceremony was taking place, with speeches from different personalities, in the room closest to Rua de Santo António, in the hall above there were several tables occupied with people chatting over a cup of coffee or enjoying the space in silence. .
Moreover, the presence of many older citizens of Faro, probably attracted by the reopening of a house that for a long time was the nerve center of social life in the Algarve capital.
In the current way, those who visit Aliança can sit down, see the photographs that are a hallmark of the establishment, appreciate its architectural aspects and participate in the gatherings that the PS will promote there, during the electoral campaign.
To consume, there is coffee and water, coming from those who want to contribute. The financial return that is achieved will be «distributed by Private Social Solidarity Institutions of Faro».
Veja here more pictures the reopening of Café Aliança.
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