The Algarve History Association presents pianist Vasco Dantas at the Quintinha da Música, a presentation on the fall of the Portuguese Pepper Empire in the East, and a talk by José Curto on José Fortunato da Costa.
October Concert - Oct 26th
For the fifth time, pianist Vasco Dantas returns to the Quintinha da Música during the first month of our season. On Sunday, October 26th he will be accompanied on the clarinet by Joel Cardoso who visits us for the second time. The concert will feature mainly the American music of George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, together with pieces by virtuoso clarinetists Kovács and Gualdi. The centrepiece of this concert will be Three Romances by Clara Schumann.
As usual, the concert will begin at 17:00 and reservations can be made through Peter on peterbooker1347@gmail.com
The price at €30 includes interval petiscos and drinks.
Presentation: The Fall of the Pepper Empire - October 28th / October 31st
A presentation by Peter Booker in October concentrates on the fall of the Portuguese Pepper Empire in the East. Begun under D Manuel I in 1498, the Portuguese Empire reached its apogee in the 1570s and 1580s, before it was attacked and dismembered under intense local pressure but mostly by attacks by the expanding Dutch East India Company. The war between Holland and Portugal was so widespread that it might with some justification be called the First World War. It is strange today to think of the Netherlands and Portugal (both small countries) fighting in the Far East, India, Africa and Brazil. While the Portuguese fared so badly in Asia, how did they manage to hold on to Brazil and Angola? Peter exposes the reasons behind the war, and shows who won, where they won, and why they won.
Tuesday 28th October at 18:00 in Lagoa Municipal Library and Friday 31st October at 11:00 in Tavira Municipal Library Álvaro de Campos. These presentations are free to attend.
José Fortunato da Costa Presentation: From Liberal to Slave Trader and Colonial Administrator in Angola (1808-1856) - November 11th / November 14th
Algarve History Association again has pleasure in welcoming José Curto, who visited us in May. He will discuss the Life and Times of José Fortunato da Costa (1808 – 1856), from Liberal to Slave Trader and Colonial Administrator. Born at Braga in 1784, this man arrived in Angola in 1839 after serving in the Liberal cause in the Civil War in Portugal and after service in São Tomé and Príncipe. Transferring to Luanda in 1839 he became Governor of Benguela and immersed himself in the slave trade. Arrested and sent for trial, he somehow managed to integrate himself in the Portuguese colonial administration, and in 1856 bequeathed to his son a fortune almost certainly derived from the illegal trade in slaves.
This presentation will take place in the Municipal Library in Lagoa at 18:00 on Tuesday 11th November; and on Friday 14th November at 11:00 in the Municipal Library in Tavira.
W: https://www.algarvehistoryassociation.com/en/
