The Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), the Instituto Camões, and the Embassy of Portugal in Brazil held on Tuesday (8/11) the event "Independence Bicentennial: Cultural Ties Between Brazil and Portugal." In the year of Brazil’s independence bicentennial, the event discussed Brazil-Portugal relations today and in the future, as well as their historical and cultural ties. Watch the full event HERE. 

The Ambassador of Portugal to Brazil, Luís Faro Ramos, stated that he hopes for a new era in Brazil-Portugal relations. According to him, about 300,000 Brazilians reside in the European country today, and will soon represent 5% of the country's population. "With the result in the elections in Brazil, we have a new era that turns Brazil more alive and present, and the opportunity to resume bilateral relations," he noted. 

Ramos also highlighted the recent partnership between the Instituto Camões and Brazil's Guimarães Rosa Institute to promote the bilateral cultural agenda and the Portuguese language. Ambassador Seixas da Costa stressed that nowadays, the Portuguese have come to know Brazilians more intimately with the spread of telenovelas, which, according to him, are a significant cultural contribution of Brazil's customs and culture.

CEBRI's Trustees Emeriti Marcos Azambuja and Rubens Ricupero, and Culture and International Relations Program Senior Fellow Evangelina Seiler also participated in the discussion. According to Ambassador Rubens Ricupero, "the bicentennial was a magnificent yet missed opportunity. It would have been an opportunity for us to review and outline an action plan.”