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Em Lisboa, a garotada segue em frente!

Interculturalidade - Lisboa

Depois da Amadora, vemos agora o caso de Lisboa!

"Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal. It has a population of 479,889 inhabitants. Non-nationals 

make up 9.30% of Lisbon’s total inhabitants. The largest group- people from Portugal- make 

up 90.70% of the city’s population. The largest minority groups in descending order are: 

Brazilians (2.75%), people from Cape Verde (0.82%) and Chinese (0.57%). Second and third 

generation migrants make up 9.30% of the city’s population. The latest GDP/per capita figures 

are of €16,000. 

1. Commitment

The optimal intercultural city strategy would involve a formal statement by local authorities 

sending an unambiguous message of the city's commitment to intercultural principles as well 

as actively engaging and persuading other key local stakeholders to do likewise.  

The rate of achievement of Lisbon’s commitment policy goals is lower than the city sample’s

2

: 

67% of these goals were achieved, while the city sample’s rate for commitment policy is 74%.  

Lisbon has adopted a number of initiatives which demonstrate its commitment to the 

intercultural approach. The city council has formally adopted a public statement in favour of 

diversity, peace and co-existence. The local government has designed an intercultural strategy 

and has developed an action plan to put it in practice. It has allocated a budget for the 

implementation of its intercultural strategy and action plan. The city council also has an 

evaluation process for its intercultural strategy. Finally, the city’s speeches and communication 

make clear reference to its intercultural commitment. 

Lisbon may wish to consider acknowledging local citizens who have done an exceptional thing 

to encourage interculturalism in the local community. The city of Bern provides an interesting 

example of this, as it launched an annual integration prize in 2003 to award the individual who 

achieves the most in cultural integration each year.  

                                                

2

 The term “city sample “refers to the weighted average of the 29 cities included in the Index at this moment in each 

of the fourteen areas of intercultural governance. 3 

Another similar practice has been introduced by the London borough of Lewisham. Its "Love 

Lewisham" award celebrates a person who has made a difference to improving green spaces, 

reducing waste and contributing to the care and upkeep of the local neighbourhood, resulting 

in notable environmental benefits. 

Lisbon could consider setting up a dedicated cross-departmental co-ordination structure which 

will be responsible for its intercultural strategy and action plan. The Spanish city of Vic may be 

a source of inspiration and learning for Lisbon  in the future. In Vic three councillors oversee 

the city’s intercultural relation policies. Several services including the education, welcome 

office, police, mediation teams, the department for employment and social integration are 

involved in a coordinated system which allows for a personalised follow-up of newly arrived 

migrants with specific needs and mainstreams integration and intercultural relations across all 

of the city services and departments.  

The French city of Lyon has put into practice a similar initiative. Here, a task force composed 

of political officials with different portfolios, institutional representatives and civil society 

members have revised as of 2010  city policies and propose changes in order to ensure that 

these policies promote equality of opportunity, non-discrimination and positive recognition of 

cultural diversity. The task force is supported by a secretariat, which requests studies and 

takes policy initiatives. It has an evaluation process and an observer monitors the impact on 

the ground. 

Lisbon’s city council might also consider ameliorating its commitment initiatives by launching 

an official webpage for diversity and interculturality. An interesting example of such an 

initiative has been introduced by the Swiss canton of Geneva. The canton’s Office for the 

Integration of Foreigners’ website serves as a resource centre for migrant communities. In the 

period 2008 to 2009 the number of people who  have visited the website has increased by 

100%. An interactive map displays 140 local addresses comprising, amongst others: local 

administrations, social services, associations which serve migrant and female inhabitants, 

health services and leisure providers. These addresses may be useful for newly arrived 

migrants, foreign citizens as well as for people who have lived in the community for a longer 

period of time."

Sobre a Amadora

Para a turma de Portugal, fica aqui um texto para debate sobre a interculturalidade na Amadora.

"Amadora is a Portugese city. According to  a 2001 census, it has a population of 175,802 

inhabitants. Non-nationals make up 7.60% of Amadora’s total inhabitants. The largest minority 

group- people from six countries in Africa where Portuguese is the official language (PALOPS)- 

Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea Mozambique and São Tomé and 

Príncipe-make up 76% of Amadora’s total migrant inhabitants.  

1. Commitment  

The optimal intercultural city strategy would involve a formal statement by local authorities 

sending an unambiguous message of the city's commitment to intercultural principles as well 

as actively engaging and persuading other key local stakeholders to do likewise.  

The rate of achievement of Amadora’s commitment policy goals is lower than the city 

sample’s

2

: only 50% of these goals were achieved, while the city sample’s rate for 

commitment policy is 74%.  

Amadora has adopted a number of initiatives  which demonstrate its commitment to the 

intercultural approach. The city council has formally adopted a public statement in favour of 

diversity, peace and co-existence. The local  government has designed an intercultural 

strategy. It has allocated a budget for the implementation of its intercultural strategy. 

Amadora also makes clear reference to its intercultural commitment in the city’s speeches and 

communication. 

According to the answers provided in the survey, Amadora is also “seriously considering” 

setting up a dedicated cross-departmental co-ordination structure to be responsible for its 

intercultural strategy and action plan. In this area the Spanish city of Vic may be a source of 

inspiration and learning for the future. Here, three councillors oversee the intercultural relation policies. Several services including the education, welcome office, police, mediation teams, the 

department for employment and social integration are involved in a coordinated system which 

allows for a personalised follow up of newly arrived migrants with specific needs and 

mainstreams integration and intercultural relations across all of the city services and 

departments. Amadora might consider designing an evaluation process for its intercultural strategy and 

action plan. An interesting example of such an initiative  has been developed by the UK 

government in order to asses the impact of community cohesion and conflict prevention 

policies. It has been devised as a four step process. The first stage,  information gathering, 

identifies: “What is the activity to be assessed and in what area will it have an impact”? Stage 

two of the preliminary assessment involves identifying the “aims” and “benefits” of the activity. 

The third stage-the full impact assessment-involves “clarifying the aims and process of the 

activity”. Finally, the last step in this model is to develop an “action plan”.  

The Dutch city of Tilburg has also put into practice a similar initiative. The city undertook a 

complete reassessment of the offer and performance of public services in the light of citizens 

expressed wishes and needs. The result was public services which are much more flexible, 

client-centred, result oriented, evidence based, responsive and effective. 

Finally, Amadora city council may consider launching an official webpage for diversity and 

interculturality.

Sucesso total

Neste fim de semana foi realizada a VAP do projeto. Os dois representantes dos parceiros da França e da hungria chegaram na sexta-feira, à noite, e voltaram no domingo. Foram dois dias intensos, cansativos, mas que permitiram que nós esclarecessemos muitas coisas a respeito da realização e da organização do projeto.

What is Intercultural Dialogue?

A working definition (based on the "Sharing Diversity" project, ERICarts Institute 2008):

Intercultural dialogue is a process that comprises an open and respectful exchange between individuals, groups and organisations with different cultural backgrounds or world views. Among its aims are: to develop a deeper understanding of different perspectives and practices; to increase participation (or the freedom to make choices); to ensure equality; and to enhance creative processes.

From the point of view of the cultural sector, intercultural dialogue within a country involves public and private cultural / artistic initiatives which bring together individuals/groups from minority/migrant communities together with the majority population in order to enter into a multi-directional communication process.

Such dialogue ideally takes place in a "shared space" where attempts are made to address unequal power relations between those belonging to majority/minority groups. The aim of an intercultural exchange is transformative of all those participating and can result in, for example, the creation of new or hybrid cultural expressions/forms, new image constructions, changed behaviour patterns etc.

Cinema Imigrante

Para quem está envolvido nesse projeto, a visita ao blog do André Francioli é obrigatória. Lá é possível encontrar vídeos e muitas informações sobre cinema, identidade e imigração. Clica aqui e veja o que tem por lá

Migrants and Minorities in Europe – Basic Data and Trends

 What is a "minority? Some remarks about the terminology

The term "national minority" is still ambiguously defined in specialised literature as well as in the political debate. According to Capotorti's definition for the UN (Pan/Pfeil, 2003, p. XV) "minority" means a community
a) compactly or dispersedly settled on the territory of a state;
b) which is smaller in number than the rest of the population of a state;
c) whose members are citizens of that state;
d) which have ethnic, linguistic or cultural features different from those of the rest of the population;
e) whose members are guided by the will to safeguard these features.

In European research and debate on minority protection various terms are commonly used with different connotations, but rarely in a congruent manner (Pan/Pfeil 2003). In Central Europe the most common term is "ethnic group" or "Volksgruppe" (German for part of a people). This refers mainly to ethnic communities divided by national borders from the respective kin-people. This term is not matching the self-perception of peoples without their own state like the Catalans, the Bretons, the Corsicans, the Romany or the Raetoromanians.

The term "nationality", historically often used to designate a membership to a national community, rather refers to the citizenship of a country and is mostly overcome in the context of minority rights issues. Even the term "minority" itself includes disadvantages vis-à-vis the term "ethnic group", not only due to the fact that in all societies there is a wide range of different kinds of minorities, but also because the pejorative connotation. A minority is designated as national if it shares its cultural identity (culture, language) with a larger community that forms a national majority elsewhere. National minorities in this sense are, for example, the Germans in Denmark, the Danes in Germany, the Hungarians in Romania, the Romanians in Hungary etc.

 Instruments of minority protection in the framework of the Council of Europe

New perspectives of minority protection in Europe [ top ]

Based on the new protection instruments in international law a new era has began in Europe: it is a historical innovation that in most European states a general system of minority protection has been activated. The process of implementation will certainly require many years. It is not exactly foreseeable which kind of dynamics it will produce and which solutions for all single situations it will create.

The Framework Convention on National Minorities has come into force in 2003 for 34 European states. Just France and Turkey still keep aside as their very raison d'etat does not recognise any minorities at all. They are still considered a threat to the unity of the country. In January 2006 38 states have ratificated the FCNM, 4 governments had put their signature, but parliaments denied ratification. No signatures have been registered by: Andorra, France, Turkey, and Monaco. No ratification has been accorded to the text by Greece, Belgium and Luxembourg. The "Language Charter" has been adopted by 19 European states, but 13 governments had given their signature without a ratification following. For both instruments there has been developed a multiphase control mechanism within the Council of Europe. This mechanism since 1999 has been successfully applied in several cases.

Estimated degree of Europe's minority protection in comparison
Protection of minorities quality in %	EU-member countries	EU- candidates 2007	Other European countries	All European countries (no ministates) in %
80% +	Belgium	-	-	1	3%
70-80%	Denmark, Spain, Finnland, Hungary	-	Switzerland	5	14%
60-70%	Austria; Germany; Great Britain; Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Lithuania, Slovenia	-	Norway	9	25%
50-60%	Netherlands, Czech Republic	Croatia	-	3	8%
40-50%	Estland, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia	Romania	Albania, Bosnia, Moldova, Macedonia, Serbia	10	27%
30-40%	France, Portugal	Bulgaria	Russia, Ukraine	5	14%
20-30%	-	-	Belarus	1	3%
10-20%	Greece	-	-	1	3%
0-10%	-	-	Turkey	1	3%
total	22	3	11