"We had planned a wide range of activities at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, with concerts, exhibitions, debates, but it's not possible. So [the video] is the way to join these millions of people who speak Portuguese, "said António Sampaio da Nóvoa, Portugal's ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), speaking to the Lusa Agency.
In what should be the second year that the World Day of the Portuguese Language is celebrated, a date instituted in 2019 by UNESCO, health circumstances do not yet allow physical celebrations, so the Portuguese ambassador considered that a video would be the best way to mark this international day.
"It is a production to mark the World Day of the Portuguese Language, with some important references to the oceans, to a language that joins the North to the South and a language that, at a time when there is no travel, proximity or hugs, brings together many people in the World," he explained.
The video, approximately 01:30 minutes long, can be broadcast free of charge on all media be it television, radio or newspapers, as well as on social networks.
In addition to reading and writing the Portuguese language, according to Sampaio da Nóvoa, sharing this video that links the five continents where Camões' language is spoken is also a way to overcome this troubled period.
"The word of the Portuguese language allowed us to better overcome and live through this dramatic time in our lives," he concluded.
The World Day of the Portuguese Language was established on November 25, 2019 by UNESCO, in a proclamation endorsed by 193 member states of the organization. The initiative was born from a proposal submitted by all the CPLP states: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.
