Lusophone connection | Former president says local Cape Verdeans are ‘living agents’

Pedro Pires (left) pictured during a meeting with Chui Sai On

Former Cape Verde president Pedro Pires was in Macau last week attending an event celebrating the friendship and cooperation between Macau and Cape Verde.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of bilateral relations between China and Cape Verde, a milestone celebrated earlier this year on the Chinese side with exhibitions hosted in both Macau and Beijing.
One of those exhibitions opened at the Military Club on Thursday night. Organized by Macau’s Association for the Promotion of Cape Verdean Culture, the exhibition seeks to impart information about the country’s society, culture and values to Chinese audiences.
“Initially, the exhibition was presented at the 40-year anniversary [of Chinese-Cape Verdean relations], but now we have brought it back with Chinese captions,” Pires told reporters. “The aim of the exhibition is to promote Cape Verdean culture in Macau, so we are using the Chinese translations [to better convey the information].”
He said that the cooperation between Cape Verde and Macau is mostly limited to the economic sphere, but that it is driven by Cape Verdean people residing in both Macau and China.
“The real connection of Cape Verde to Macau and China is done through the Cape Verdean people who live in these areas. They are the ‘living agents’ of the connection,” said Pires.
The former president was visiting Macau for the first time following an official visit he paid to Beijing earlier this month.
Pires also met with the Chief Executive (CE) on Thursday to discuss the upcoming Ministerial Conference between China and Portuguese- speaking countries, which the former president said would take trade and economic cooperation between Cape Verde and Macau to a new level.
According to a statement from the Government Information Bureau, Pires said he hoped his visit would facilitate deeper bilateral exchange between the two territories and strengthen Chinese-African multilateral cooperation.
The CE also stressed the government’s commitment to developing Macau as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Pires believes that David Chow’s upcoming Macau Legend casino, once built, will benefit Cape Verde’s economy and that its impact on the local society is something to look forward to.
“The Cape Verdean government is giving priority to Macau in its cultural outreach due to the large-scale project [Macau Legend casino] that is taking place in the country,” he said.
Asked if the project was too ambitious, Pires simply replied: “We need to have the ambition to complete it [the project]. Those who are afraid are those who are not able to reach their goals.”