He was from Fuzeta and “was immensely proud” to be so, despite having only lived in this location for a short time. This connection between Maria Barroso and Olhão has now been celebrated and immortalized, with the attribution of the name of the former First Lady to the city's Municipal Auditorium.
On Friday, November 3rd, the Chamber of Olhão made official this tribute to the «woman of theater, cinema, activist and politician who was Maria Barroso, an unavoidable name in national culture, society and politics, but who always he had a lot of love and appreciation for Olhão», according to António Pina, mayor of Olhão.
«She was a woman of causes and an active citizen, who distinguished herself over the decades as a fighter for freedom and democracy», added the mayor, at the ceremony naming the municipal auditorium after Maria Barroso.
António Pina was speaking to the many people who were at the session, but mainly to Isabel Soares and João Soares, the two children of the honoree, who were also present and revealed how much their mother identified with the municipality of Olhão.
«My mother was immensely proud of her origins. She always said it was from Fuzeta and she really liked it,” said Isabel Soares.
«My mother had an immense passion for the Algarve. She always claimed to be from the Algarve. The paternal family on my mother's side was mostly from Montes de Alvor, but she was born in Fuzeta by chance, like two of her brothers", recalled, on the other hand, João Soares.
Taking into account this connection between Maria Barroso and Fuzeta, the centenary celebrations, which will take place in 2025, will “start in Olhão. I think it is more than adequate», announced Isabel Soares.
The two children of the honoree made a point of praising the life and legacy of their mother, who was “an extraordinary woman. (…) She was fantastic, a woman of causes, always attentive and concerned about others and extremely tolerant. She was an example for all of us,” according to her daughter.
«The greatest pride we have is that she was never Mário Soares' wife, she was always Maria Barroso. She was always worth it on her own. First, she was an actress, perhaps the only one who was banned from acting by the dictator Salazar. She was always a resilient woman. She was the only woman who spoke at the Republican Congress of Aveiro, in 1973, and always had an active political intervention». she continued.
She was also, like her husband Mário Soares, who would become Prime Minister and President of the Republic, founder of the PS, having been part of «the very small group of people who were in Germany to found the party».
«I wanted to say thank you and say that this gesture touched us all immensely, us, the children, but also the whole family», said Isabel Soares, who was supported by her brother in her thanks.
The ceremony naming the Olhão Municipal Auditorium after Maria Barroso took place within the scope of the Arte Larga initiative, which Olhão is hosting until next Sunday, November 12th.
Among many other proposals that are part of the program, which can be consulted in full here, the municipality highlights the theater play Pedras com Asas, by ACTA (The Algarve Theater Company) on the 10th, at 21:30 pm, as well as a stand-up comedy show with Jorge Serafim and a concert by Teresa Salgueiro, on the 11, at 16:30 pm and 21:30 pm.
The last day of “Arte Larga” will have activities throughout the day, starting with the Museu ao Largo initiative and the opening of the Municipal Museum Store. There will also be experiences with families, exhibitions and tastings at this location.
On the first day, in addition to the tribute to Maria Barroso, four exhibitions/installations were inaugurated, which can now be enjoyed in the atrium and outside of the Maria Barroso Municipal Auditorium: “God Publishing”, a collective with the participation of João Lelo; “Antiguidades Tecnológicas”, by Victor Rodrigues, “ÁguasMil”, by Maria Ventura and “Poemas Vagabundos”, by Igor Nunes Silva.
On the same day, the auditorium hosted a concert by Júlio Resende, a musician, pianist and composer also from Olhão, and the play “Ruy, a História Due”, by Ruy de Carvalho, with Luís Pacheco and directed by Paulo Sousa Costa.
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