To mark the 50th anniversary of the Autonomy in the archipelago and to rethink the future.

“Rethinking the autonomy of the future” is the motto of a series of conferences and other initiatives with which the Historical Institute of Terceira Island (IHIT) will kick off the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Azorean autonomy.
The initiative is supported by the Regional Directorate for Culture and the Angra do Heroísmo City Council
The activities will begin in April, with a conference on the chosen theme, and then continue in June, September, and December 2025, as well as March and April 2026.
The first activity, on April 22, will take as its theme the Day of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, which is based on Holy Spirit Monday, and will discuss the possible contributions of this fact to improving autonomy through citizenship.
The title of the conference is Democracy: From the People to the Politician, to be given by Antonieta Costa and Arnaldo Ourique on April 22, at 8 p.m., in the Angra do Heroísmo Town Hall, moderated by Armando Mendes.

TRIBUTE
The end of this cycle will culminate in a commemorative moment on April 22, 2026 “with a day of special importance in view of the half-century of political and constitutional autonomy and a tribute to Dr. Álvaro Monjardino, who was the first President of the Azorean Parliament and President of this Institute”, says a note from IHIT.
Álvaro Monjardino, who belonged to the Government Junta that preceded Azorean Autonomy and was involved from an early stage in the construction of the autonomous system, challenged the direction of Azorean Autonomy in public statements and at party meetings within his party, the PSD-Azores.
In 1990 (DI, 1990.03.04), in an interview with our newspaper, Monjardino made his thoughts on the ongoing process very clear, stating, for example: “Autonomy has evolved in a context of little reflection”; “Our Autonomy has been built according to events” or “This Autonomy may well not serve us”

José Louenço, director, Armando Mendes (PhD), editor-in-chief.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publications at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks the Luso-American Education Foundation for their support.