Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Minister of State and Territorial Cohesion, Janine Lélis, arrived on the island of Fogo on Monday to represent the Government in the celebrations of Municipality Day and the Flag of São Filipe.
In addition to Minister Janine Lélis, the Minister of Culture, Abraão Vicente, had scheduled a working visit to the island of Fogo and São Filipe from April 28th, but it was canceled and postponed until May, for reasons personal
“We had received information that the Minister of Culture would be with us, but later we were informed that for personal reasons he will postpone the working visit to the municipality of São Filipe so that we can see some projects in the pipeline that we want to develop a partnership with”, said the Mayor of São Filipe.
The visit, according to Nuías Silva, will be rescheduled for the month of May, despite having not yet contacted the Minister of Culture’s office because of all the issues surrounding the Municipality Day and São Filipe Flag celebrations.
Since assuming the Culture portfolio in 2016, Abraão Vicente has never been present at the São Filipe festivities, a situation that has merited several readings by different segments of San Filippo civil society.
Asked whether the repeated absence of the head of Culture in what is considered the biggest traditional festival in Cape Verde cannot be seen as “contempt” on the part of the Minister of Culture, the mayor of São Filipe stated that he has a different reading and does not want to believe it. that any minister could despise the feast of greatness of Saint Philip.
“He had committed to coming this year, but in fact I don’t know the reasons, we always send an invitation to the Government, who is responsible for nominating the people who will come to represent him, and the Minister of State and Territorial Cohesion, Janine Lélis, was nominated. ”, stressed the mayor.
Minister Janine Lélis, according to Nuías Silva, has already had the opportunity to make some visits, namely to Casa das Bandeiras and Praça do Presídio and participated in the final of the horse race.
“It will be a good presence since it is the first time representing the Government at this party”, summarized Nuías Silva.
The same source refused to go into details that he said he did not know and that he wants to believe that the minister will be in São Filipe in other events.
The absence of the Minister of Culture at the festivities, he added, is a question to be put to the Government or the minister and it is not up to the mayor to make an inference between two institutions that have a “healthy institutional relationship” and therefore “does not want to put any doubts at the stake.”
“Some personal reason caused the Minister of Culture to reschedule his visit to São Filipe”, said Nuías Silva.
Regarding other guests, the mayor said that this year, due to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April, in Portugal, and the fact that the festivities of São Filipe coincide with the week of the 25th of April to the 1st of May and the 50th anniversary of the release of prisoners from Tarrafal de Santiago prison, in Cape Verde, on May 1st, there is a “weaker presence of foreign friends”.
Despite this, some have already started to arrive, namely from the Portuguese municipality of Viseu, which is represented by the president of the Polytechnic Institute, adding that in the next few days a few more will arrive.
“It is not compared to previous years because we also understand why there is intense activity commemorating the 25th of April in Portugal, on the one hand, and on the other the transport problem affects it”, concluded Nuías Silva, who noted that some might want to come on the days April 28th and 29th, but there was no connection between the international flight and domestic flights.
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