São Paulo
The House of Azores of São Paulo was founded on the 22nd of June 1980 and officially inaugurated in April of 1986.
The objectives of the House of Azores of São Paulo are to congregate Azoreans, their descendants and everyone that shares a sentimental bond with the region. It also seeks to preserve and divulge the culture, the folklore and the traditions of the Azores.
This institution promotes the organization of initiatives and gastronomic events with typical Azorean dishes and products, in addition to speeches and expositions. It is also particularly interested in the expressive arts, such as theater, dance, music and poetry sessions. The House of Azores of São Paulo has divulged the Azores in various ways. It has organized outreach campaigns directed at university and elementary school students as well as various contests, such as the event “Açores, Natural, Naturalmente e Brasil Florão da América”, which started at the Cultural Week of 2012 and included a writing contest about the Azores and a quiz that determined a winner. The prize of this contest, offered by the Regional Directorate for the Communities, was a one-week trip to the Azores, which took place in November 2013.
One of the noteworthy initiatives that were undertaken in partnership with the Regional Directorate for the Communities was the Exposition “Azores Divine Azores”, which took place in April 2012, at the Commercial Centre Anália Franca, in São Paulo. The event was attended by the Houses of the Azores in Brazil and by Azorean artists. It included Azorean craftwork exhibitions and other initiatives to divulge and promote business and touristic exchanges as well as other cultural activities.
The House has its own head-office with venues that enable it to organize various initiatives and events, such as a chapel, an auditorium, a library, a meeting room, a bar and a kitchen.
The House of Azores of São Paulo congregates more than one hundred members and its geographical reach covers the State of São Paulo.
The Government of the Azores, more specifically the Regional Directorate for the Communities, has supported this institution through a protocol that was established with that purpose in mind.
This House of the Azores of São Paulo is a member of the World Council of Houses of the Azores since 1997. In 2002, it presided over the council.