It is «a non-biography», especially because it ran the risk of becoming out of date the day it was published, and a work «written by four hands» between the historian Maria João Raminhos Duarte and the (not) biographed, about the multifaceted and lively life of Vítor Neto.
The book "Vitor José Cabrita Net – A Non-Biography”, a “biographical narrative” about this businessman, association leader, former Secretary of State for Tourism, former member of the Communist Party and resistance against fascism, written by historian Maria João Raminhos Duarte, was presented on the 19th , in the Town Hall of Silves.
The session was attended by a room full of personalities from the most diverse backgrounds, from politics to culture, including the business and academic world, among others – it was, in fact, an academic, João Guerreiro, former rector of the University of Algarve, who had the task of making a presentation about the book.
The book was commissioned by the Chamber of Silves from the Algarve historian, as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April, and is the first of several whose edition the municipality intends to finance, about other personalities from the municipality who contributed to freedom.
«If not with this type of registration, how can we honor the contribution of these people?», asked Rosa Palma, president of the Chamber of Silves.
«It was difficult to condense this man's life into one work, because he did so much work and it was so multifaceted and diverse. Furthermore, he is alive, which requires us not to be too intrusive", explained, for her part, Maria João Raminhos Duarte.
By delving into «the extraordinary life of Vítor Cabrita Neto», the historian realized that «biography of him, in our days, is impossible», especially because «his activity and contribution still endure».
Thus, the author tried, above all, to make Vítor Neto known «not just as a historical figure, but as an example of resilience».
«It was an adventure for me, a little different from what I'm used to doing, but very rewarding, because Vítor Neto is a truly different and extraordinary person, as well as sensible and humble», he confessed.
«Vítor Neto is one of the last “dinosaurs” in the Algarve, someone in whose personality the people of the Algarve recognize a title that has nothing to do with fortune or studies. I'm talking about men like António Aleixo, who, being illiterate, everyone recognized him, incorporating him into the Algarve man, but also as João de Deus or Duarte Pacheco», stated Maria João Raminhos Duarte.
«I think that Vítor Neto is one of the last of that generation, a personality in which the people of the Algarve, by consensus, recognize themselves, apart from political and ideological prurience, even knowing that he was a militant and member of the PCP», he added.
The book's author's praise was reciprocated by the biographer, who highlighted the writer's ability to «cross her in-depth knowledge of the history of the Algarve with the intersection of my life and that history».
Born in 1943, in São Bartolomeu de Messines, Vítor Neto is the son of businessman Teófilo Fontainhas Neto, a prominent figure in this municipality and the Algarve, at the time.
But Teófilo Fontainhas Neto was not just a businessman, as João Guerreiro recalled. This illustrious Messina was also “associated with workers’ struggles” at the beginning of the century, and played a role “in identifying the problems” experienced at the time, through a newspaper from the 1930s in which he collaborated, called Cracked, where topics such as the situation of the destitute, today called “homeless people”, among others, were addressed in a humanistic way, something that was not well regarded by the then still young Salazarist regime.
In the presentation session, Vítor Neto made a point of highlighting the fact that his father was “determining” his life path. «He was my most important teacher and that had consequences throughout my life».
After a childhood spent in his homeland – «he was an attentive child, interested in the running of the family business» -, Vítor Neto went to study in Lisbon, at the Instituto Superior Técnico.
«I didn't go to Coimbra, because I really liked the festivities. I decided: I'm going to Lisbon, to study. After four months, he was arrested (laughs),” he said.
It was while he was a university student that his political activity began to intensify, through participation in student protests. And it was in one of them that he ended up being the involuntary protagonist of an image that became iconic and went down in history, as Maria João Raminhos Duarte recalled. An image that the book reproduces, in the original and in a recently painted mural.
«It's very funny, because he unintentionally immortalized what was the academic crisis of 1962. [During a protest] he walks, is attacked from behind, with a gun butt, and falls. Then he is taken away by his colleagues. And someone, that anonymous photographer, who was photographing the students, captured that moment. If you go to the canteen of the University of Lisbon today, Cantina Velha, the students, in the tribute they paid in 2012, I believe, painted exactly this photograph», said the historian.
Eventually – and even to be able to continue his studies, since he was expelled from Técnico, due to his political activity –, Vítor Neto found himself compelled to move to Italy, to continue his training.
In 1963, he came to Portugal to visit his family, and the police were waiting for him at the border, in Vilar Formoso. “They had a warrant. The train was stopped for two hours, everyone asked what was going on and, after all, they were supposed to arrest me. They took me to Caxias. I was pressured and intimidated, although I was not tortured. After this episode, I returned to Italy and only returned to Portugal after the 25th of April », he recalled.
In exile, he organized resistance to the dictatorship of the Estado Novo, from Italy. And it was even there that he got married, to the Italian Simonetta.
During his visit to this country, «which until now was unknown to the academy, he is the one who will set up the entire resistance structure, not only in Genoa, but throughout Italy», said Maria João Raminhos Duarte.
«He is the one who liaises with the resistance in Paris, Switzerland and Africa. He met all the leaders – Amílcar Cabral, Samora Machel – and participated in all the conferences. In this field, I think the great interest for historians will not be the biography itself, but making known what was done in Italy,” he said.
Returning to Portugal, Vítor Neto was, as he himself revealed, «a militant and member of the PCP, in the area of propaganda, for a few years», a role that allowed him to travel through Portugal from North to South and have a global perspective on the country's problems.
At a certain point, he decided to dedicate himself to his father's company, «so as not to let it fall». Later, he was invited by the then Prime Minister António Guterres, a socialist, to be Secretary of State for Tourism.
Today, in addition to his activity as a businessman, he is also the president of NERA – Business Association of the Algarve Region.
As you can see, Maria João Raminhos Duarte did not have an easy task, to tell these episodes in Vítor Neto's life in detail.
«But it was a very interesting adventure, because the biographer delved into his own life, almost autobiography. And in the doubts I raised, he himself became an investigator. It was a partnership. This is a score played by four hands», revealed the author of the book.
«For me, it was a very important book to write, as a historian, because, nowadays, our political world and political leaders are almost irreparably shaken by the discredit of public opinion. This man is a special case, he is ethically impeccable wherever he has been. It was very good, because it offers, in addition to the example of resistance and citizenship, a beacon of hope, a beacon of what politics should be».
Also very important in the process, highlighted the historian, was Simonetta Neto, the biographer's wife, responsible for his «very rich and well-organized personal archive, without which this book would be much poorer».
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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