BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Centro Nacional de Cultura (CNC) was founded in 1945 as an “intellectuals’ club” in which to exchange ideas. It was the brainchild of a group of monarchists who wished to defend a free culture.
Throughout the 50s and 60s it developed to become a democratic forum and by the late seventies, after the 25 April 1974 revolution, it began a new phase under the team leadership of Helena Vaz da Silva. It now included a range of activities addressed to a broad spectrum of the public – Sunday Walks, travel, training courses, international meetings and seminars, exhibitions, publications, literary and artistic competitions, prizes and grants, children’s activities, providing cultural services for schools, corporations and foreign groups visiting Portugal.
Currently CNC’s main objectives are to promote, defend, disseminate and register Portuguese cultural heritage, promote “cultural tourism” based on an integrated idea of tourism, environment, heritage and cultural itineraries, and to educate the younger generations on a feeling of global citizenship.
Its action can be summarised as a policy of “establishing contacts”, “articulating”, “making things happen”.
A nucleus was opened in 2006 in the city of Oporto.

 2009 PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES

SUNDAY WALKS
Visits to (re)discover the country. At weekends, prior booking required. Quarterly programme in the CNC bulletin and on www.cnc.pt.

COURSES
Short (8 to 12 sessions) evening courses on various subjects such as the arts, sciences and literature, given by well-known figures in each of the areas. Special prices for young people and senior citizens. Quarterly programme in the CNC bulletin and on www.cnc.pt.

PUBLICATIONS

RELEVANT WORKS OF PORTUGUESE CULTURE
Weekly selection and presentation in Portuguese and English of a work by a Portuguese author which is considered decisive in each of the following areas: Architecture, Painting, Music, Theatre, Literature. “Relevant Works of Portuguese Culture” was available on the e-Cultura site (www.e-cultura.pt) in 2007. We will now publish a book including all Works , considering that only some of them were on the internet.

TRAVEL JOURNALS – “The Portuguese re-encounter their history”

ÍNDIA: by B. Almeida Faria and Bárbara Assis Pacheco. One more book resulting from the cycle of trips “The Portuguese re-encounter their History” that CNC promotes to the various parts of the world travelled by the Portuguese discoverers. Almeida Faria (text) and Bárbara Assis Pacheco (drawings) are the authors of this diary on the trip throughout Bombay, Goa and Cochin on December 2006.

SOUTH AMERICA TRIP BREVIARY (MIGUEL REAL/GRAÇA MORAIS)/ QUIDNOVI: – On September 2007, we went to South America (Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina) Miguel Real is the author of the text, illustrated by Graça Morais’ drawings.

PORTUGAL AND THE WORLD: THE FUTURE OF THE PAST: Pocket guide collection with which CNC wishes to remember and deepen the historical and cultural ties between Portugal and the various parts of the world travelled by Portuguese discoverers. Its aim is to provide an accurate, light and interesting report of the cross-breeding between such different people, and tread anew the itineraries left by the Portuguese and other Europeans who met in these regions.
We have already published issues dedicated to Indonesia, Timor, Morocco, Brazil, Japan, Cape Verde, São Tomé e Príncipe. In 2009, new issues will be released.

TRAVELS

ORMUZ AND OMAN STRAITS – THE PORTUGUESE RE-ENCOUNTER THEIR HISTORY - Series of trips to all parts of the world where the Portuguese have been and left their traces.
As a result of these trips, we produce travel journals, pocket guides and TV programs. In September 2009 we will tread this interesting itinerary through Bahrain, Muscat, Sour and Niza. We will also visit Petra and Cairo.

English  Murder and  Mistery Literature – In the wake of Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle – Trip to London in April.
AZORES – São Jorge, Flores, Corvo, Graciosa – Following the trip of June 2008, another trip to the islands we did not visit before.

CRIAR LUSOFONIA GRANTS

For writers from one of the eight Portuguese-speaking countries whose works are known at home and abroad.

YOUNG ARTISTS GRANTS

For Portuguese artists under 30. Projects can comprise creation, investigation or training and may be carried out in Portugal or abroad in the following areas: music, visual arts, literature and the performing arts.

OTHER PROJECTS

THE FATIMA ROUTES

CNC decided to produce a nationwide plan to identify alternative routes to the major roads in Portugal with their heavy traffic. These routes will enable pilgrims to walk peacefully and safely to Fatima, enjoying the landscape and the silence. The Northern route connecting Oporto to Fatima is being set up and by 2007 will be marked with blue arrows indicating Fatima and yellow arrows pointing the opposite way, indicating the road to Santiago de Compostela. The same route serves both destinations, Fatima or Santiago, but in opposite directions.

FESTA NO CHIADO
Thirteenth edition of cultural visits, concerts, children’s gymkhanas, exhibitions, etc. in which the main objective is to revitalise the Chiado historical area of Lisbon. This is  a partnership headed by CNC involving a large number of artistic and cultural entities based in this neighbourhood.

SPOKEN NEWS
Monthly meetings on national and international news with guest speakers.
Programme to be announced.

TOURISTICAL GUIDES ON WORLD HERITAGE
Upon request of Portuguese Tourism Office, Centro Nacional de Cultura is developing these guides, based on Alcobaça, Batalha Monastery and Convento de Cristo, in Tomar.

E-CULTURA INTERNET SITE

E-cultura – www.e-cultura.pt – has reached in 2009 10 millions of visitors. It is a remarkable success, taking into account that it celebrated four years of existence on January 15. Innovations are being introduced, namely e-teatros, exclusively dedicated to Portuguese Theatres and other performing arts buildings. Duarte Ivo Cruz is the author of this project, supported by INATEL.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

MENUHIN-PORTUGAL
CNC is the Portuguese headquarters of the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation network for development of the MUS-E programme aiming to reduce violence in primary schools through art education.

ALIAC
Luso-Indonesian Association for Friendship and Cooperation – aims to encourage relations, cultural and otherwise, between Portugal and Indonesia.

EUROPEAN CULTURAL FOUNDATION
CNC is the headquarters of the National Committee of the European Cultural Foundation.

PORTUGUESE NETWORK OF ANNA LINDH FOUNDATION
This is a structure integrating Ana Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for inter-cultural dialogue. CNC is a member of this network, which promotes a euro-mediterranean partnership, an intercultural dialogue, respect for diversity, and it tries to bring different people from this region together, aiming a better understanding of each other.

EUROPA NOSTRA
CNC plays an active role in this pan-European federation for cultural heritage based in The Hague.

EFAH – EUROPEAN FORUM FOR ARTS AND HERITAGE
CNC is a founding member of this European network of cultural and art organisations and works to give culture a prominent place in Community policies.

NETWORK OF CULTURAL CENTRES INSTALLED IN HISTORICAL MONUMENTS
CNC is a founding member of this network based in Paris.

ENNHO – European Network of National Heritage Organisations
CNC Works with this British-based initiative to encourage partnership building between heritage conservation organisations in European countries.
 
SERVICES

ARTIST’S RESIDENCE

In the heart of the Chiado, the Centro Nacional de Cultura has two apartments at its headquarters where visiting artists can be housed for short or long stays.

FERNANDO PESSOA GALLERY – For business lunches, products or books presentations, with or without catering.

CAFÉ NO CHIADO

Café No Chiado, located In Largo do Picadeiro facing Teatro de São Carlos, is a pleasant restaurant with outdoor seating from which you can reach Ciber-Chiado.

CIBER-CHIADO
This cosy, inviting space in the CNC library has internet connections. Access through Café No Chiado.

GRAF
 Graphology Department: reading handwriting for personnel recruitment;

TRANSLATIONS
 To and from several languages, efficiency and quality.

LISBON WALKS 
Walking tours of the city’s historic areas (by appointment, spoken in several languages);

CHILDREN GYMKHANAS
Cultural gymkhanas in Chiado for children. For schools, or not. On Saturdays. Previous enrolment required.

CONTACTS
Rua António Maria Cardoso, 68 – 1249-101 Lisbon – Portugal

www.cnc.pt

Telephone:  +351  21 346 67 22  Fax: +351 21 342 82 50  E-mail:   info@ cnc.pt

DIRECTORS

Board:
Chairman -     Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins
Deputy-chairman -     Maria Calado
Members -                Alberto Vaz da Silva
                               Duarte Nuno Simões
                               Eduardo Oliveira Fernandes
                               Mário Ruivo
                               Lourenço de Almeida
General Meeting:  
Chairman -               Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles
1st Secretary -          Graça Morais
2nd Secretary -         Armando Santinho Cunha

Audit Board:
Chairman -              António Borges de Carvalho
Members -               João David Nunes
                              Fernando Catarino

EXECUTIVE TEAM