Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
Update | Portuguese activists detained by Israel safely returned Book | The Cartographer of Absences: A Novel | By Mia Couto Pico | CORDAS World Music Festival Community | The FABRIC Arts Festival returns to New England Gaza | Portuguese activists Mariana Mortágua and Sofia Aparício detained by Israeli authorities
 

Update | Portuguese activists detained by Israel safely returned – Portugal

The four Portuguese citizens detained by Israeli authorities during the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza — Mariana Mortágua, Sofia Aparício, Miguel Duarte, and Diogo Chaves — have safely returned to Portugal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel,  confirmed their arrival at Lisbon Airport at 10:40 p.m. on Sunday, following diplomatic coordination […]

Book | The Cartographer of Absences: A Novel | By Mia Couto – Editor’s Note

Diogo Santiago is a celebrated Mozambican poet and intellectual, a well-known professor at the university in his country’s capital. In 2019, on the eve of a cyclone that will devastate the East African coast, he returns to his hometown of Beira to receive a tribute from his fellow citizens. As he travels across Mozambique, his […]

Pico | CORDAS World Music Festival – Azores

On its 10th edition, Madalena do Pico, Azores, once again presents the CORDAS World Music Festival, from October 1–11 across multiple venues. The festival reaffirms Pico’s growing reputation as a creative hub in the Atlantic, drawing artists from Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Organized by MiratecArts, CORDAS continues its mission of uniting artists and audiences […]

Community | The FABRIC Arts Festival returns to New England – Fall River, MA

By Carolina Matos, Editor The FABRIC Arts Festival returns to New England, October 9–12, transforming Fall River (MA) and Providence (RI) into vibrant stages for art, performances, gastronomy, and cultural events.  In its sixth edition, the festival is organized by Casa dos Acores da Nova Inglaterra (CANY), directed by Francisco J. Viveiros, with Michael Benevides […]

Gaza | Portuguese activists Mariana Mortágua and Sofia Aparício detained by Israeli authorities – Portugal

The Portuguese government has confirmed that Mariana Mortágua, a Member of Parliament and coordinator of the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda), and Sofia Aparício, a well-known Portuguese model and actress, were detained today by Israeli forces during the interception of the humanitarian flotilla was bound for Gaza. Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, was also. detained. Other […]

Immigration | Thousands of undocumented migrants to be repatriated – Portugal

07 May 2025

Portugal is currently undertaking measures to expel over 18,000 undocumented migrants, the incumbent caretaker Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced early in May. The initiative was detailed by Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro, who stated that the government would begin issuing expulsion notices starting this week. The initial phase involves notifying around 4,500 individuals, […]

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Posted in Featured, Organizations, People, Politics, Portugal, World

May 5th | World Portuguese Language Day – Portugal

04 May 2025

World Portuguese Language Day is celebrated annually on May 5th, in about 50 countries, to honor the global significance of the Portuguese language and the diverse cultures of Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) countries. On this day, various cultural events and activities are organized worldwide to raise awareness of the importance of Portuguese as a global language and […]

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Posted in Community, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, Portugal, World

Opinion | Four Portuguese cardinals are in contention for the papacy | Len Port

01 May 2025

There is the intriguing possibility that a Portuguese, or at least a Portuguese-speaking, cardinal will succeed Pope Francis as the global head of the Catholic Church. This suggestion follows the astonishing power cut across Portugal and Spain, which prompted widespread speculation about a Russian cyber-attack, or even Armageddon—the end-of-the-world prophecy described in the Book of […]

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Posted in Featured, Organizations, People, Portugal, Religion, World

Book | Slavery and Religious Conversion in Portugal’s Indian Empire, 1500-1700 | By Stephanie Hassel – Editor’s Note

29 April 2025

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, enslaved Africans and Asians were part of the larger Portuguese project of building and maintaining a Catholic empire in the Indian Ocean. Both the Church and the Crown influenced the owner-slave relationship across households, the most basic organizational unit of power over the populace. Responsible for their enslaved dependents’ […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Featured, Heritage, Portugal, Religion, World

Travel Alert | Massive power outage paralysed airports  – Portugal

28 April 2025

Portugal experienced a nationwide power outage today, April 28, as part of a widespread blackout that also affected Spain, France, and other European countries. The exact cause is still under investigation. The outage began around 12:30 p.m. local time, severely disrupting airports in major cities including Lisbon, Porto, and Faro. The Lisbon Metro, trains, and […]

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Posted in Azores, Community, Featured, Madeira, Portugal, Travel, World

Azores | Pace University students visited the Azores to learn about Viola da Terra – New York, NY

27 April 2025

Pace University students, enrolled in the “Producing the Documentary” course (MCA 370/MCA 655), recently traveled to the Azorean islands of São Miguel and Terceira to film a documentary titled Viola da Terra: Harmony of the Azores. As part of a faculty-led study abroad program, the project explored the cultural significance of the Viola da Terra, […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Azores, Community, Education, Entertainment, Featured, Film, Heritage, Music, Organizations, People, São Miguel, Terceira