Team Herald
PANJIM: A brass band played as school children and residents of Fontainhas greeted Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa, as he walked along the lanes of Panjim’s Latin Quarter. A large number of people came out to meet the Portuguese Prime Minister as he walked along the streets.
The walking tour started at the St Sebastian Chapel and wound its way to the Fundacao Oriente office where he paid tributes to late Paulo Varela Gomes, a historian and former delegate of the Fundacao Oriente, and posthumously awarded him with a Cultural Merit Medal which was accepted by Gomes’ wife Patricia Vieira.
“We must not just look back to our shared history but also look ahead and create newer ties,” Costa said speaking at a function organised at the Fundacao Oriente, in Fontainhas.
Commending the works of Varela Gomes, Costa said, “His works led to the rediscovery of various aspects of Goa, India, and as a result, of Portugal itself. Fontainhas is the best example of how he crafted a cultural synthesis which he had seen around him, a culture which is truly Goan.”
Referring to well-known Goan architect, Charles Correa’s contribution to creating an iconic landmark in Portugal, Costa spoke of how cultural exchanges between Goa and Portugal should be encouraged in order to create a brighter future.
Costa also visited the Se Cathedral and the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. He was taken on a guided tour around the Church and Basilica and was briefed about the history of the structures. The Churches come under the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao presented Costa with a coffee table book on the Church in Goa and the Church’s contribution in Goa.
Later in the evening he briefly interacted with Indian film professionals at a symposium to promote Portugal as a film shooting destination.
