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"50 Years of April Our Way" celebrates the 25th of April and the changes in geography and society

"50 Years of April Our Way" celebrates the 25th of April and the changes in geography and society

On the 21st of May, 2024, the event "50 Years of April Our Way" took place at IGOT, which included the inauguration of the exhibition "The 25th of April, Geography, Change".

At 4:00 PM, the session "Where Were You on the 25th of April?" took place, during which Emília Sande Lemos, Francisco Melo Ferreira, Isabel Amorim Costa, João Ferrão, and Jorge Gaspar, moderated by Diogo Abreu, shared personal stories and experiences from that time.

This was followed by the musical moment "Awaken! We Will Sing April!", energized by IGOT students Carlos Esperança, Catarina Cabrita, Tomás Pirocas, and the IGOTuna, which brought back the songs of April's singers.

Following this, the exhibition "The 25th of April, Geography, Change" was inaugurated, curated by José Manuel Simões and Sandra Domingues, with design by Maria João Raimundo. The exhibition celebrates 50 years of April and 50 years of changes in geography. April brought freedom and changes in politics, geopolitics, society, the economy, the territory, culture, and mindsets. April also brought changes to higher education and Portuguese geography. Just as the country has changed over the last 50 years, the Geography Department at the University of Lisbon has also evolved, becoming more applied, more technological, and more attentive to current societal problems and challenges related to development, planning, and territorial sustainability.

The graphic design of the exhibition was guided by three key ideas: the idea of CELEBRATION, as the 25th of April was a moment of jubilation for the Portuguese people, so the first image presented to visitors evokes the joy and festive atmosphere of a popular fair; the idea of NARRATIVE, because it recounts the contexts and consequences of the changes in the Geography Department at the University of Lisbon, particularly in the years immediately following the 25th of April; and the idea of TRIBUTE, as the 50 theses hanging from the ceiling of the IGOT atrium are intended to represent both the soldiers of April and the "soldiers, captains, and generals" who elevated the Geography Department at the University of Lisbon, now IGOT, to a leading position in Portuguese geography.

The exhibition will be on display at the Espaço Arte until the 31st of August, 2024.