It is the third consecutive year that the initiative has taken place in the German city of Frankfurt, but this time, “due to the importance of marking 50 years”, the festivities will be organized solo by Gri-Dpa, and not together with the Italian community, as on previous occasions.
“April 25th is something out of the ordinary, as a revolution and as a driving force for other revolutions”, Alfredo Stoffel, president of the association that organizes this party that takes place on April 27th, highlighted to Lusa.
Musical moments, lectures, speeches, and an exhibition are planned in partnership with the Associação 25 de Abril. One of the items on the agenda included songs and poems by students from the Frankfurt European School.
“It’s an initiative from someone from outside who came to us and asked to participate with their students. We also have a professor from the University of Chemnitz who will talk about the democratic system and the challenges for the future. Manuel Campos (vice-president of Gri-Dpa) will provide us with a musical moment with songs of April and freedom”, she detailed.
The presence of the Mayor of Frankfurt City Council and the city choir Heinrich-Heine is also expected. The room has a capacity for 200 people and the organizers expect both Germans and Portuguese, “no one has priority”.
“There are many Germans who were interested in our revolution, who was in Portugal when it happened, and who continue to be interested in it”, pointed out the president of the Portuguese Diaspora Reflection and Intervention Group in Germany.
Alfredo Stoffel was “13 years and 364 days old” when the Carnation Revolution broke out. At the time, he still lived in Portugal and remembers the day well.
“The 25th of April had a huge impact on my training. I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't lived through those moments when I was a kid. It made our humanist and social positions have a different weight than those of people who did not live through that time,” he highlighted.
He regrets that for many young people, it is just “a historical date that you learn about in books” and a holiday on the calendar.
“If younger people were aware of what this historic date of freedom was, we wouldn’t have far-right parties with so much support”, he highlighted.