Message from President Lula read by Minister Mauro Vieira at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, Lisbon

Your Excellency the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa,

Excellency Luís Montenegro, Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, on whose behalf I greet the other Heads of State and Government of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries,

My colleague, Minister Paulo Rangel,

Ladies and gentlemen, my friends,

It is first and foremost an enormous honor to represent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who, due to commitments in Brazil, was unable to be with us today, and to say a few words on his behalf that reflect his feelings about a movement that has profoundly transformed Portugal and impacted the Lusophone world.

First of all, I would like to thank President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa - a well-known friend of the Brazilian people - for the honorable invitation for Brazil to be represented at this historic ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution.

I would like to start by quoting from a highly emotional article by Brazilian writer Ruy Castro - a man who has always fought his battles in the trenches of democracy - published in last Sunday's edition of one of Brazil's largest newspapers, in which he recalls his personal experience in Lisbon on April 25, 1974:

I quote:

"Among the Brazilian journalists, I was the only one there - by chance, but I was there. (...) Only on the 28th did the reporters arrive, some from the international press, as famous as their newspapers or magazines. But none were better placed to assess that moment than the Brazilians (...), also because Brazil was living through the worst period of its own dictatorship, the Médici years. So there we were, watching a dictatorship crumble with a soundtrack in Portuguese.

The difference between the two dictatorships was the degree of censorship. If the Carnation Revolution had taken place in Brazil, the Portuguese press would have been forced to hide it on the inside pages and downplay its importance. On the other hand, our press, muzzled on other matters, was able to celebrate the Portuguese liberation with fanfare."

The renowned Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado who, at a very young age went to exile from the Brazilian dictatorship in Paris with his wife Lélia. He said that, with the Revolution, the couple decided to travel by car to Lisbon, where they would do their first major photojournalistic report. His record is equally powerful and illustrative:

"It was a wonderful thing because it wasn't just us. Everyone who had a libertarian idea, who had the dream of real socialism, of true democracy, went to Portugal: a kind of Spanish Revolution, only without the violence."

The degree of unanimity that the Revolution amassed in Portuguese society at the time was impressive, having spread to other countries in the Lusophone spiritual universe.

The Carnation Revolution bequeathed Portugal a plural and inclusive political system, aimed at promoting human dignity and building a free, just, and supportive society.

The democratic and humanist ideals of the Carnation Revolution inspired other countries. The Brazilian Constitution of 1988, known as the "Citizen Constitution", was inspired by the forward-looking and transformative model of the Portuguese Constitution of 1976.

This date marks not only the beginning of Portugal's re-democratization but also the moment when the country defeated fascism, recognized the right to self-determination of all peoples, and began the journey to confront its colonial past.

Over the last fifty years, Portugal has established its place in the world: a country that is both Atlantic and European, peaceful and secure, prosperous and confident, without ever giving up the anchor of Lusophony.

The significant improvement in social indicators, the qualitative leap in infrastructure, the inclusion in the European Union, all of these represent undeniable progress in relation to the pre-revolutionary reality.

Our Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries is a great fraternity united by language, by shared historical and cultural ties and by a spirit of concord. Today, we share a more homogeneous vision of our common past.

Mr. President,

We live in an increasingly challenging and complex international context. According to some estimates, there are more than 150 ongoing conflicts in the world, while geopolitical tensions are worsening and clashes between powers are becoming more acute every day.

The use of military force is being resorted to at a similar rate to the abandonment of the centuries-old rules and norms that govern international law. 

At this critical moment for international relations, Portugal has stood out as an example of stability and commitment to dialogue and cooperation. The country maintains a firm commitment to multilateralism, international law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Like Brazil, Portugal does not accept a world in which differences are resolved based on the law of the jungle.

Within our countries, the growing influence of social networks has made our societies vulnerable to campaigns of disinformation and manipulation, which delegitimize politics and collective action and put democracy itself at risk. Rising inequality creates a caste of few extremely powerful people who can deploy their vast resources to destabilize governments.

Mr. President,

In the year in which we commemorate the 50th anniversary of April 25, Brazil holds the presidency of the G20, an international forum of great relevance for macroeconomic coordination among its members and even greater potential for transforming global governance.

It is today, above all, the political and economic forum with the greatest capacity to positively influence the international agenda.

As President Lula himself has already stated, a world marked by an upsurge in conflicts, growing fragmentation, the formation of protectionist blocs and environmental destruction does not suit anyone.

Hence, during its G20 presidency, Brazil will seek to promote a new globalization that promotes peace and combats disparities, based on promoting sustainable development in its social, economic, and environmental dimensions.

We are most proud to count on Portugal during our G20 presidency. Alongside the other sister countries of the CPLP, Portugal is an indispensable partner in our efforts to renew international political institutions and put human beings back at the center of public policies.

Mr. President,

The fiftieth anniversary of April 25 reminds us how much the people can achieve when they are determined to build democratic institutions.

This moment is also an opportunity to reflect on the future.

The ability of the Portuguese to reinvent their country is a source of inspiration to all those who want a freer, fairer, more humane and more prosperous world.

These are also the objectives of President Lula's third term ahead of the Brazil’s Presidency of the Republic. This is no coincidence: the winds of the Carnation Revolution crossed the South Atlantic and landed in Brazil, inspiring generations of Brazilians to fight for democracy, civility and human dignity. This struggle is not over yet.

The attacks on politics and culture that have sadly dominated Brazil in recent years prevented the brilliant Chico Buarque from receiving the Camões Prize in 2019. It was only last year that this injustice was repaired, with the award being presented here in Lisbon, in the presence of President Lula and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

As Chico sings in the second version of "Tanto Mar":

“Foi bonita a festa, pá

Fiquei contente

E inda guardo, renitente

Um velho cravo para mim”

Happy April 25th. Long live Portugal! Long live democracy!

Thank you very much.