Mayor of Ponta Delgada confident that the city will get the title of European Capital of Cultura

After being delivered in Lisbon, on Thursday, the Ponta Delgada – Azores 2027 bid book has arrived in Ponta Delgada, where it was met with broad smiles, arms wide open and a big sense of pride for the path traced.
Surrounded by the candidacy team, the Mayor of Ponta Delgada, Pedro Nascimento Cabral, has stated once again that he is confident that the city, and the region, will be European Capital of Culture in 2027.
"We are together in this big project that is Ponta Delgada becoming European Capital of Culture in 2027", said the Mayor. He also considered that this is "a project of the outermost importance, not only for the cultural development, but also for the economic and social growth".
Based on the concept of "Human Nature", this document shows a vision for what could be the year 2027, if Ponta Delgada receives the title of European Capital of Culture (ECoC).
Throughout 100 pages, the bid book shows a collective dream that arose from the will of a civic movement of around 800 people. It details Ponta Delgada's intention of involving the Azorean archipelago in the European Capital of Culture. Besides the artistic programme, it is revealed how this event complements the Cultural Strategy of the municipality for the next decade. This is a technical document that responds to six evaluation criteria: monitoring, cultural and artistic content, European dimension, outreach, management and capacity to deliver, but is also a "space of future", said António Pedro Lopes.
The artistic director of the bid highlights that the selection phase bid book is a detailed document that has taken the jury's considerations into account. It is also the result of "an auscultation process with cultural stakeholders and the civic society of all nine islands, to understand the necessities, the challenges and the vision of the Azoreans to build a European Capital of Culture and to give it a regional dimension".
António Pedro Lopes points to the "sense of pride" that was created through the region and the feeling of having the "capacity to develop a vision for culture". 
"What makes us happy, as a team, are the principles of cooperation between the islands, on the islands within each island, with Europe and with the Americas. We are not 'islanded' nor isolated, and the more we know each other, support each other in coexistence and cooperate, the stronger the Cultural and Creative Sectors will be".
At a time when the team is preparing the jury's visit to the city and the presentation to the panel, that will happen in December, in Lisbon, the bid book acts as "a base to keep working, regardless of the results". The ECoC title "is not a reward, but rather a grant", says António Pedro Lopes.
"We have to continue working, expanding the programme, listening to more people, putting them in contact with the project and bringing more tools, so that there are more participants, and we are more capable of implementing good cultural practices".
Ponta Delgada, who is bidding with the Azores region, is one of the final four cities to become ECoC in 2027, alongside Aveiro, Braga and Évora.
After visiting the four cities, and hearing their presentations, the jury will reveal which will be the next Portuguese city to receive the title on december 7th. Regardless of the results, the Ponta Delgada – Azores 2027 team will "evaluate, understand the legacy of the bid, which projects can continue and which structure will the bidding process leave to the municipality, so that it can implement the Cultural Strategy Ponta Delgada 2020-2030".