Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
Canada | Brampton to inaugurate replica of Portas da Cidade 100 years ago | Devastating earthquake shook Faial Island Sports | Fernando Pimenta world canoeing champion Community | 20th Anniversary of Portas da Cidade Celebration Community | The Holy Ghost Festival of New England returns
 

Canada | Brampton to inaugurate replica of Portas da Cidade – Toronto, Ontario

One of the most recognizable symbols of the Azores, Portas da Cidade (City Gates) of Ponta Delgada, will soon have a new home in Brampton, in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area. The inauguration of a full-scale replica of the historic monument is scheduled for September 12, 2026, at Azores Park, 100 Malta Avenue.  The monument will […]

100 years ago | Devastating earthquake shook Faial Island – Azores

One hundred years ago today, on the morning of August 31, 1926, the island of Faial was violently shaken by one of the most destructive earthquakes in the modern history of the Azores.  A century later, the Museu da Horta is commemorating the disaster with historical photographs, educational activities and an earthquake-preparedness exercise involving about […]

Sports | Fernando Pimenta world canoeing champion – Poznan, Poland

Portuguese canoeing star Fernando Pimenta was crowned world champion in the K1 1000 meters, winning a dramatic final at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznan, Poland, on August 29, 2026.  The achievement adds another historic chapter to the career of the athlete from Ponte de Lima, widely regarded as Portugal’s greatest canoeist. Pimenta currently […]

Community | 20th Anniversary of Portas da Cidade Celebration – Fall River, MA

Mayor Paul Coogan, in conjunction with the Portas da Cidade Advisory Committee and the Prince Henry Society, will host a special ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Portas da Cidade (City Gates), one of Fall River’s most recognizable symbols of its Azorean heritage.  The celebration will take place Monday, August 31, at 10:30 am […]

Community | The Holy Ghost Festival of New England returns – Fall River, MA

The Holy Ghost Festival of New England will be held in Kennedy Park in Fall River, Massachusetts, from August 26–30. Former Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is expected to visit Fall River as a guest of honor for the 40th-anniversary festival celebration, according to reports. The President of the Regional Government of the Azores, […]

Book: ‘Exemplary Tales’ by Sophia M. B. Andresen – Editor’s Note

22 September 2015

Published in 1962, this short story collection foreshadows two other iconic 1960s works—by the Mozambican Honwana and the Angolan Vieira—in the way it invites its readers to consider a range of ethical issues at a watershed moment during the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal. It alternates between allegorical pieces, endowed with a fable-like quality, such as […]

Read the full story

Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Featured, Portugal

Pope Francis: Exclusive interview with Rádio Renascença – Portugal

18 September 2015

Earlier this week Pope Francis spoke to a Portuguese audience in an exclusive interview with Lisbon based Catholic Rádio Renascença. In the interview Pope Francis confirmed his intention to visit Portugal in 2017, on the 100th anniversary of the Marian Apparitions in Fátima. “I was only once in Portugal many years ago, on the way […]

Read the full story

Posted in Azores, Community, Featured, Heritage, Interviews, Organizations, People, Politics, Portugal, Religion, World

Joana: General election ‘hots up’ as candidate reveals all – Portugal

13 September 2015

By Len Port, Contributor (*) Gone is the perception that all politicians are shady. Well, at least one isn’t. With just over three weeks to go before Portugal’s general election, the left-wing Lisbon candidate Joana Amaral Dias has emphasized her belief in transparency. But why would she choose to appear on the cover of a […]

Read the full story

Posted in Featured, People, Politics, Portugal

Book: ‘The Lisbon Massacre of 1506’ – Editor’s Note

11 September 2015

Jews in exile have often struggled for the protection of the highest governmental power, whether king, emperor, caliph, or pope, because they learned early that their safety could not be entrusted to the goodwill of their gentile neighbors or the local authorities. Alexandrian Jews in the Hellenistic period relied on Imperial Rome instead of their […]

Read the full story

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

Honor: Maria João Pires wins Gramophone Concert Award – London, UK

11 September 2015

Portuguese born piano virtuoso Maria João Pires was one of the winners of the prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2015, in the category of concerto, with her interpretation of Beethoven Piano Concerto Nos 3 & 4 with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding conductor. Established in 1977, the Gramophone awards are considered the ‘Oscars’ of […]

Read the full story

Posted in Arts&Culture, Awards, Featured, Heritage, Music, People, Portugal, World

Honor: Portugal wins 16 prestigious World Travel Awards – Sardinia, Italy

07 September 2015

Portugal was awarded 16 top prizes at the ‘World Travel Awards’ in over 10 categories voted by travel agents worldwide. Considered the “Oscar” of tourism, the awards recognize Portugal as a most favored European destination for over 15 million tourists each year. The 2015 announcement ceremony took place yesterday, September 6, in Sardinia, Italy. Portugal […]

Read the full story

Posted in Awards, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Portugal, Travel