The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, commented on the state of cultural appreciation in the country, stating, “[Culture] is still regarded as a lesser concern in the eyes of a significant portion of Portuguese society. As politicians usually reflect the prevailing views of society, this has a cost in terms of national political power.” His remarks were made during a visit to the Casa-Museu de Vilar in Lousada, Porto district, a museum dedicated to animation cinema and home to hundreds of cinematic artifacts.
Abi Feijó, the museum’s owner and a filmmaker and producer, expressed disappointment that no governmental official has visited the museum since its opening over a decade ago. Addressing this concern, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa explained that the lack of recognition for animation cinema in Portugal, even among government officials, might be the reason.
“This area is very specific and has taken time to be understood both internally and in terms of international success,” he noted.
When queried on whether the government’s apparent indifference could be attributed to the museum’s location outside major urban centers, Rebelo de Sousa acknowledged that this might indeed be a contributing factor.
“There are several house museums spread across the country which have become increasingly recognized in recent times, marking a significant shift from the previous focus on major centers,” he stated, highlighting that this “new reality and this shift took time to be politically assimilated.”
He suggested that it would be logical for “any government, whether now or in the future, to eventually discover this reality.”
“Local governments are the ones realizing [this shift], serving as patrons or as a supportive framework for new cultural developments, many of which have deeply rooted histories,” he pointed out.
Regarding whether culture should receive more focus during the political debates for legislative elections, he observed that based on polls, “priorities both here and abroad generally revolve around international affairs, economic measures, the war situation, the economic living conditions across various aspects, or very specific social issues.”
For the President, such circumstances push matters like culture and, for many years in Portugal, education, into “less prioritized positions.”
During the visit, guided by Abi Feijó, Rebelo de Sousa praised the museum as “an environmental marvel,” also highlighting “the animation and creativity” of the space dedicated to animation cinema, a sector he described as “so important globally and often forgotten or misunderstood in Portugal.”
Portugal achieved its first Oscar nomination from the Hollywood Academy in 2023, with the animated short film ‘Ice Merchants’ by João Gonzalez.
