The councillor responsible for culture, Margarida Mendes da Silva, stated today that the municipality had decided to revoke the public tender, whose jury had unanimously proposed to award the position of programmer at the São Francisco Convent (CSF) to the former director of the Teatro Oficina de Guimarães, Mickael de Oliveira.

At today's executive meeting, Margarida Mendes da Silva quoted part of the minutes revoking the decision to hire from the public competition, signed by the Mayor of Coimbra, Ana Abrunhosa (PS/Livre/PAN), which justifies the decision due to lack of funds to fulfil the contract, which was €36,000 per year (€108,000 for the three years planned).

In these minutes, the mayor states that there is a requirement for ‘a policy of spending and resource restraint, due to the imperative allocation of resources to situations of need and urgency as a result of the state of emergency declared in the municipality of Coimbra’.

Ana Abrunhosa points out in this document that ‘the current financial and operational conditions constitute a substantial change in the circumstances that shaped the initial context of the contract, not allowing the municipality to ‘honour the financial commitment’ made in the public tender.

The Mayor also stated that there are no longer the means to implement the ‘cultural programming strategy’ envisaged in the tender for the São Francisco Convent, adding that the storm caused damage to this cultural facility.

At the executive meeting, however, the councillor responsible for culture stated that the executive maintains ‘its interest and commitment to hiring a programmer in the future’, at a time that allows it to work ‘in conditions of dignity and in line with expectations’.

Margarida Mendes da Silva also emphasised her ‘absolute confidence’ in the current team at the São Francisco Convent.

The competition was launched about a year ago by the previous executive, composed of a coalition led by the PSD.

If the procedure had been completed, this would have been the first time this cultural facility, inaugurated in 2016, had a programmer chosen through a public competition.

Both in the 2021-2025 term and in the 2017-2021 term (with a PS majority), the municipality opted to use internal options or direct adjustments to program that cultural space.

The Convento São Francisco has been without a permanent programmer since 2023, with programming being handled by municipal officials since then.

In the preliminary report, Mickael de Oliveira scored excellent in two criteria (commitment to public service and cultural policy in Coimbra, and programming strategy with synergies) and very good in the other two (integration into the territory and social and environmental responsibility of the proposal).

In 2009, Mickael de Oliveira, along with John Romão, founded Colectivo 84, was deputy director of the Gil Vicente Academic Theatre (TAGV) in Coimbra between 2011 and 2015, took up the position of artistic director of the Oficina Theatre in Guimarães between 2023 and 2024, and is director of the Encontros de Novas Dramaturgias Contemporâneas Festival.

The jury concluded that the artistic strategy presented by the candidate is ‘clearly structured, coherent and fully affirmed, based on a solid and distinctive curatorial vision, which integrates creation, programming, critical thinking and cultural mediation’.