The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for the Communities, is commemorating the International Migrants Day next Saturday, 18 December, with several public activities in the city of Praia da Vitória, on Terceira island.
The day before and on the same day, the Regional Network of Municipal Contacts for Migrations, which intends to complement the face-to-face public assistance services provided by the Regional Directorate for the Communities in the cities of Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo and Horta will meet for the first time.
This first meeting, of a formative nature, aims to enable a point of contact in every municipality in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in order to provide a closer and more effective informative assistance that contributes to the welcome and integration of migrant citizens in Azorean society.
At the same time, the Vice-Presidency of the Government is editing and presenting the (Im)Migrant’s Guide, a guide with useful information for foreign citizens wishing to reside and work in the Azores.
The program for the celebrations on the 18th begins with a session in the main hall of the Town Hall of Praia da Vitória at 4 PM. This session concludes the meeting to set up the Regional Network of Municipal Contacts for Migrations and is intended to publicly present the “(I)Migrant’s Guide”, edited in a printed script, on the Internet page and in an application.
At 5 PM, the “Walk for Interculturality” begins open to the free participation of the general public. The walk starts at Praça Francisco Ornelas da Câmara, next to Paços do Concelho, and ends at “Aldeia de Natal”, in the tent installed in the marina of Praia da Vitória, where the rest of the program for this event takes place. This is followed by Interculturality festivity, which includes a multicultural concert scheduled for 6 PM with a performance by the band Jaime Goth Trio, made up of Cape Verdeans and Azoreans resident on the islands of São Miguel and Faial. There will also be room for a “Tasting of the World’s Flavors” promoted in partnership with AIPA – Association of Immigrants in the Azores, where it will be possible to taste, from 12 PM onwards, the main typical delicacies from Angola, Cape Verde, Brazil, Russia and Venezuela. Simultaneously, there is a “Handcraft Show”, organized by the Praia da Vitória City Council, in which artisans residing on Terceira island participate, some of whom come from other countries. Transport will be provided for those interested to participate in these initiatives to a maximum limit of 50 people, on the Angra do Heroísmo – Praia da Vitória route at 4:15 PM (at the bus stop next to the courthouse), and Praia da Vitória – Angra do Heroísmo route at 9:30 PM (at the bus stop by the tent in the marina).
These commemorations aim to promote good relationships and a better understanding between the different peoples and cultures residing in the Region, fostering interculturality and honoring the life path of all migrants.
The regional commemorations of Migrants Day are organized by the Vice-Presidency of the Government of the Azores / Regional Directorate for the Communities, occur within the scope of the European project REGIN – Regions for Migrants and Refugees Integration and take place in partnership with the Municipality of Praia da Vitória and the Association of Immigrants in the Azores (AIPA).
The International Migrants Day was proclaimed in 2000 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, being marked annually on 18 December with the aim of raising awareness in the international community for the defense of the rights of migrants worldwide.
