SPA is pleased about the celebration of the Portuguese Language and Culture in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries Day on May 5 in several countries, underlining the importance and relevance of the words of António Guterres, UN’s Secretary-General, in New York, and of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of the Portuguese Republic, on the subject. Both leaders stressed the fact that the 260 million speakers of the Portuguese language are a symbol of diversity in this global world, as well as an important path to dialogue and cooperation between countries, peoples and civilizations.
“At CPLP (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries), we are proud of our diversity, we acknowledge that our own societies are multi-ethnic, multicultural and multireligious, and that this is an asset, not a threat, and that this should be valued and affirmed, and that this should be a lesson to other parts of the world, other peoples, other cultures. And I believe CPLP has a role to play here,” said António Guterres last Saturday at the UN Gardens in New York. In these troubled and not very solidary times, he also condemned racist and xenophobic remarks, and he spoke of lusophony as a symbol of diversity in the institution he leads as well.
This date was highlighted and celebrated in several cities and countries, thus satisfying the Portuguese government’s intentions since 2009. In Lisbon, there were also important commemorative events in which SPA was able to participate because of its commitment to increase the value of this heritage, which should grow in the future as the Portuguese language is the fifth most spoken language in the world.
SPA recalls that it has been stimulating an ambitious lusophone cooperation project since 2014 and that, within that scope, it has been supporting the societies of authors of Angola (UNAC), Cape Verde (SOCA), Mozambique and East Timor, among others. In October 2016, SPA submitted and obtained the approval for a manifesto on the importance of lusophony in Rio de Janeiro. This manifesto was signed by seven Brazilian societies of authors of all disciplines, with wide media coverage.SPA is currently engaged with Brazilian societies and societies from other Portuguese-speaking countries in the creation of the Confederation of Lusophone Societies of Authors.
This SPA action is regularly praised and encouraged by international organizations and societies, and it is used as an example and as a reference for the copyright collective management world.
With the Portuguese public service channel (RTP), SPA wants to create an international space for communication with the societies that exist in the countries in which Portuguese is the official language.
The words of António Guterres and of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa have now given this date and lusophony the prominence and importance that they deserve.
Lisbon, 7 May 2018
