To celebrate the 50th aniversary of the revolution of the 25th April 1974 – a historic milestone of Portuguese democracy – Project Ruído, supported by Turismo de Portugal, designed the “Murals of Freedom” seeking to create urban art that would entice visitors to different locations across the country, each based on a theme relating to the Carnation Revolution.
The first mural in the project was revealed yesterday, in São João da Madeira, at an event chaired by the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, attended by artists Draw (Frederico Soares Campos) and Alma (Rodrigo Guinea Gonçalves), as well as Pedro Machado, Secretary of State of Tourism, Carlos Abade, president of Turismo de Portugal, and Jorge Sequeira, Mayor of the City of São João da Madeira.
The 14 murals will connect tourism, art, and the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the revolution throughout 2024, displaying themes relating to the Carnation Revolution and alluding to stories, people, facts, and landmarks of the cities that will host the murals. Each painting will reveal a significant part of this chapter of Portuguese history or aspects relating to the values of the revolution, such as democracy, freedom, inclusion, education, and culture. Stories, events, and locals that played an important role in the transition to democracy will be highlighted.
The Murals of Freedom project aims to create an art trail across Portugal, encouraging visitors to explore the theme across various Portuguese cities and regions. It aims to involve local communities in the artistic process, celebrate local and national history, and promote Portugal as a tourist destination. The project therefore seeks to foster tourism through artistic and cultural promotion, stimulate increased tourism throughout the country, raise awareness of the potential of art in the advertising and promotion of our country, and put Portugal on the map as a place of interest for those seeking out urban art and history, highlighting the recognition and allure of the Portuguese artistic ecosystem.
The first mural, “Blue pencil, never again”, can already be visited in São João da Madeira as part of an industrial tourism route along which the Viarco pencil factory is of particular note. Progress on the remaining murals can be monitored both in the locations themselves and via the dedicated web page, as well as Project Ruído and VisitPortugal’s social media. Plans have also been made to release a book as part of the project, containing an annotated record of each of the murals, sharing stories told by each one.
