History of Independence of Brazil is told on the bicentennial website
This year, Brazil celebrates 200 years of independence. To make the history of this period even better known, the São Paulo Department of Culture and Creative Economy made available to Brazilians of all ages the Bonifácio Agenda, an unprecedented online platform where people can learn about the most important episodes that led to the separation of Brazil from Portugal.
"Such an important milestone in the country's history needs to be celebrated over a significant period of time, enough for many events to be commemorated. The platform will be available for consultation until December 2022 and then it will become a record of the celebration of the bicentennial," said Secretary Sérgio Sá Leitão. "We chose Bonifácio's name for the agenda because he was a very important figure in the development of Brazil's independence," he added. José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva was one of the most important figures of his time, active in the fields of art, science and politics.
By accessing the Bonifácio Agenda, the public will learn, for example, about the series of decrees that culminated in the proclamation of Independence by Dom Pedro I, on September 7, 1822. The first of them, in fact, was signed by Maria Leopoldina, on August 13, 1822, when she was named interim head of state and Princess Regent, due to the prince's trip to resolve political issues.
Sensing pressure from the court after her husband refused to return to his native country, the Princess Regent convened the Council of State in Rio de Janeiro and signed, on September 2, another decree declaring Brazil officially separate from Portugal. On the Bonifácio Agenda you can also navigate through a time line, on a historical journey from the year 1500 to the present time, going through the most important facts of this period of history.
In the Other Heroes section, the site brings you into contact with little-known characters in the historical process, such as, for example, pioneer women who left a legacy of resistance and bravery. One of them is Maria Felipa, an important name in Bahia's independence movement. In this space, it is also possible to watch interviews on the theme with historians such as Lilia Schwarcz, Eduardo Bueno, Mary Del Priori, Isabel Lustosa, and Ynaê Lopes dos Santos, among others.
The platform is managed by the Social Organization Friends of Art and, besides bringing to the Brazilian people the historical facts about Independence, it makes it possible to share information and divulge events related to the Bicentennial of Independence. For this, the interested person just needs to access the form or write to contato@agendabonifacio.com.br .
"We want the Bonifácio Agenda to celebrate independent Brazilians who assume their own identity, with the main objective of continuously fomenting a historical, diverse and democratic programming, which dialogues directly with the echoes of this milestone in history, which is still present today in our culture", said Danielle Nigromonte, general director of Amigos da Arte.
