University of Coimbra chosen to launch the celebrations of five centuries of Camões' history
On the 10th of June, the University of Coimbra hosted three initiatives to celebrate the 5th centenary of the birth of the poet Luís de Camões: the opening of an exhibition, an academic ceremony and a commemorative concert.
"This is a profoundly significant moment that symbolically embraces, celebrates and sheds light on five centuries of Camonian history," said Rita Marnoto, commissioner of the 5th Centenary of the Birth of Luís de Camões, describing the event.
The celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the poet's birth began at the University of Coimbra (UC) on the 10th of June. The day included an academic ceremony, the opening of the exhibition 'Camões: Letras impressas (1572-2024)' ('Camões: Printed Letters (1572-2024)' at the Joanina Library and the evening show 'Eram tudo memórias de alegria' ('It was all memories of joy') at the Pátio das Escolas.
Speaking at Portugal's "Alma Mater of University and Culture", President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa highlighted the country's tribute to a "son of Coimbra who is also a glory of Portugal".
"The poet Luís de Camões is celebrated not only through our language, but also in recognition of the fact that we are both Portuguese and citizens of the world," said President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
"We never do justice to the greatness of Camões or the greatness of the idea of Portugal; we never quote or celebrate him properly or enough; we never keep in mind the precise meaning of verses and history, or of verses within history," said the President of the Republic.
The initiatives promoted by UC aim to highlight the link between the poet and the city of Coimbra. There is strong evidence that the foundations of Camões' remarkable culture were laid not far from here, at the foot of this hill, in the Coimbra Monastery of Santa Cruz.
"In his work, Camões used manuscript sources that only existed in the Santa Cruz library," continues the UC Faculty of Arts and Humanities professor. "Moreover, the poet belonged to the Coimbra branch of the Camões family, and his uncle, D. Bento de Camões, was a prior of the monastery," reveals Rita Marnoto.
The UC Rector recalls that there have been "old and endless disputes" over Camões's background, life, and "other aspects of his biography".
At a time when "one could only study in person, where there were books and masters", he stressed that Coimbra is truly "a strong candidate" to be "recognised as the place where the greatest poet in the Portuguese language studied", but in the end, according to Amílcar Falcão, "Camões' true homeland is Portugal". And "Camões has served many causes", one of the greatest being "the cause of the Portuguese language".
Watch the full academic session here:
