O 1st European Rooftops Meeting, which ended this Friday, January 11th, put Faro to “think of the European dimension”, with eyes set on the candidacy for European Capital of Culture in 2027.
At the closing press conference, where the conclusions of the meeting were presented, Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Chamber of Faro, explained that «this meeting shows a little of what we are doing, taking into account our involvement in the project of Faro Capital of Culture 2027. We are thinking about what we are, what we want to become, what our problems and our realities are. This project follows on from the work we have been doing».
Paulo Santos, vice president of the municipality, admits that the European Capital of Culture «is not out of mind. When we started to think about this meeting, about the roof terraces, we thought about a European dimension, looking at what was being done outside and we realized that 9 cities in Europe were already developing activities, in different domains, on their roof terraces. So we sent an email and everyone agreed to come».
To help you think about Faro, in this “European dimension”, participated in this meeting Mattijs Maussen, a Dutchman “who has already been involved in 16 projects of European Capitals of Culture, to help elevate our thinking and reflection. This European dimension must become our day-to-day domain. We have to think about what we can contribute to the European conscience and this philosophy must be present in our work», explained Paulo Santos.
In addition to the conclusions of the meeting, which continued after the press conference, Luís Caracinha, from Epopeia Records, presented the image of the Açoteia Festival, which will take place on the 21st and 22nd of June.
Little is known about this festival, since, according to Paulo Santos, “we did the process a bit backwards. First we decided the date, the image, and now the content will start to be developed. I have an idea, but it might not turn out to be what I think. What we want is to invite the population, agents, whoever wants to, in a genuine and free way, to get involved with us, so that something results from this. I have no doubts that it will work, but the project will be what each one wants it to be», he concluded.
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