«With this twinning, we want to preserve the common heritage between Alcácer Quibir and Lagos». The words are from Mohammed Simou, president of the Municipal Council of Ksar El Kebir (Alcácer Quibir), at the signing ceremony, this time on Portuguese soil, of the twinning protocol between the two cities.
The solemn session, which was attended by a Moroccan entourage that included members of the municipality of Alcácer Quibir, but also artists, historians and other intellectuals, took place on Friday, at the Town Hall of Lagos, to mark the beginning of the municipal holiday celebrations in the Algarve city.
Before signing, there was a small concert by a group of musicians from the Moroccan city, made up mainly of women, who sang traditional love songs, in Arabic, one of them adapted and with lyrics praised for Lagos.
In his speech, the mayor Mohammed Simou, who last April hosted the Lagos entourage, He added that he hopes that "the twinning agreement will have practical results for the development of our two countries and cities."
«Alcácer Quibir has a particular connection with two cities in the Algarve: Lagos and Silves. This connection, in the case of Lagos, revolves around your king D. Sebastião and the Battle that we call “Dos Três Reis”. But today we want to transform the memory of the conflict into a relationship of friendship between the two peoples and the two countries. May this be a celebration of unity among all of us», he said.
For her part, the hostess, Chamber president Joaquina Matos, began by saying that «Lagos and Alcácer Quibir are linked by fate». "We want, without denying or forgetting the past, to transform this past of conflict into a relationship of friendship and rapprochement for the future."
Therefore, the mayor added the twinning protocol, which had already been signed in April, during the visit of the delegation from Lagos to Ksar el Kibir, and which has now been signed again in the Algarve city, will be an “instrument for carrying out common initiatives for the benefit of our two communities”. To this end, a "short, medium and long-term action program" is being finalized, with the support of the Portuguese embassy in Morocco, which foresees various initiatives, namely in terms of culture, heritage and tourism.
Paulo Morgado, president of the Lacobrigense Municipal Assembly, recalled that, «in the History of Lagos, many peoples are part, one of them is the people of Morocco. The Portuguese people are also part of the history of Morocco».
However, “for some strange reason, we've been apart for too long. We have to get closer again!»
“We all can and must learn from each other. Humanity only evolved because people communicated, invented commerce, traveled. History is made of migrations». However, he stressed, "what prevents this communication is politics, bad politics."
"It is important that all peoples respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights", was also keen to underline Paulo Morgado, who recalled: "peace, social and human development, as the King of Morocco likes to say, are very important ».
Drawing attention to how much unites the two peoples, even at the genetic and ethnic level, the president of AM de Lagos concluded: "if we all look in the mirror, we will see that we are very similar, that we certainly have many common ancestors" .
José Alberto Alegria, honorary consul of the Kingdom of Morocco in the Algarve, stressed that "Portugal and Morocco have very good relations and share common visions on many regional issues."
In addition, he stressed, "the number of partnership and twinning agreements signed between Portuguese and Moroccan municipalities is impressive."
After a long succession of speeches, punctuated by the need to translate into Portuguese, French and Arabic, there was no less long delivery of gifts by the president of the Commune of Alcácer Quibir to the Mayor of Lagos and other personalities participating in the ceremony , such as the mayor of Ribeira Grande, Cape Verde, and councilwoman Cláudia Ferreira, of Torres Vedras, municipalities with which the Algarve city is also twinned.
Mohammed Simou made a point of explaining the meaning of each gift, starting with a brochure about the twinning between Alcácer Quibir and Lagos, which included a Moroccan flag, a handmade cloth used by Berber women in the North of the country and many others pieces of beautiful local crafts.
Yesterday, a municipal holiday in Lagos, there were also other cultural and social moments with the Moroccan delegation, who were present at the official ceremonies. This Sunday, architect Frederico Mendes Paula, from Câmara de Lagos, one of the great workers in this approach between the two cities, will be the guide for the visit of guests from Morocco to the Fortress of Sagres and the Castle of Silves.
As Maria Joaquina Matos underlined, addressing her counterpart Mohammed Simou, “when I left Alcácer Quibir I told him that we left with his city in our hearts. I hope that when you leave Lagos, you will also take Lagos in your heart».
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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