From literature to music, from cinema to visual arts, names such as Lídia Jorge, Teolinda Gersão or José Luís Peixoto, Graça Morais, Sérgio Godinho or Maria de Medeiros, including four winners of the Camões Prize — Hélia Correia, João Barrento, Silviano Santiago and Ana Paula Tavares — sign the "Manifesto in Defence of the EPE Network: the first line of Portuguese diplomacy."

Rejecting precariousness

For the signatories, it is "urgent and necessary to reject the precariousness" of the EPE network, as well as "to provide stability, recognition and solidity to the careers of the agents of this network," which dignifies the professionals who perform their work "frequently in conditions of unsustainable vulnerability."

Affirming the EPE network as "the most solid space for dialogue, circulation, transit and dissemination of Portuguese literature, art and culture around the world," the signatories of the Manifesto emphasise the "decisive" role of Readers and Teachers who work every day to promote authors of the Portuguese language in various parts of the world.

"The Portuguese Education Abroad network not only creates and guarantees visibility to literature and culture produced in the Portuguese language on a global scale: this network creates bridges, every day, between writers, communities, countries and the most diverse audiences," reads the text of the Manifesto.

"Every day, somewhere on the planet, there is a Reader from the EPE network organising a conference, a seminar, a colloquium, a debate, with artists and authors of the Portuguese language. Thanks to them, Portuguese is spoken somewhere on the planet every day," they add, highlighting what they consider to be a "meticulous" and "constant" work that, over the years, has built "one of the most solid pillars of internationalisation" of Portuguese-language culture.

"Although the number of Lectureships is smaller each year and the professional situation of those who work in them is more vulnerable, it is they who, every day, carry out the endless and meticulous task of coordinating trips, artistic residencies, translations and festivals," they emphasise.

Praising Readers and Professors

And they continue praising the Readers and Professors who act as artisans who "daily weave this powerful and simultaneously fragile web of contacts, connections, collaborations and bridges that make Portuguese-language cultures among the most studied in the world."

There is also the EPE network's contribution to Portuguese communities in the diaspora, which they consider a fundamental link for "reconnecting with their roots."

"It is the EPE network that ensures that daughters, grandchildren, and descendants of Portuguese people scattered around the world find our novels, poetry, music, cinema, and other arts in the Portuguese language; also through this means, our language is continuously inscribed in multiple, diverse, and innovative environments of production, reflection, and enjoyment worldwide."

For all these reasons, they consider the EPE network's spaces "the most valuable asset of Portuguese cultural diplomacy in the world" and ask the government to recognise this truth with "serious investment," "appreciation," and "job stability."

"When we are going through a historical moment marked by unknowns, humanitarian crises, and uncertainties about the future, the importance of recognising the humanistic work, promoting dialogue, reading, and the arts that the EPE network carries out every day is more pressing than ever," they argue.

"In order for them to continue developing this work, it is essential that their merit be recognised, but also that the current legal structures cherish all these professionals, guaranteeing them the indispensable stability, solid careers and strong employment ties," they add.

They conclude with an appeal to the Government to "reconsider" the proposed law for the Legal Regime of Portuguese Education Abroad, rejecting the precariousness and lack of "serious commitment" to investing in the EPE network and its professionals.

"Doing so is the most indispensable respect for the language that unites us," they conclude.

The "Manifesto in Defence of the EPE Network: the first line of Portuguese diplomacy" has been signed so far by 441 personalities from the arts and universities around the world, linked to Portuguese culture and language.

On May 28th, the unions representing teachers and the Government began negotiations to revise the RJEPE, whose portfolio is supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Following this initial meeting, the Government's proposals have been challenged by teachers and their unions. Another meeting was held today, and yet another is scheduled for 13 July.