Eleven years after the creation of FÓLIO – Óbidos International Literary Festival, the current municipal executive intends to elevate literature into a transformative force for the territory. The goal is to integrate it as a structuring public policy, capable of driving development in various areas. As a first step, the Strategic Council for Literature and Knowledge was established, featuring writers such as Afonso Cruz, Dulce Maria Cardoso, Gonçalo M. Tavares, José Eduardo Agualusa, José Luís Peixoto, Mia Couto, Pedro Freitas, Pilar del Río, Tatiana Salem Levy, and Valter Hugo Mãe.
Ricardo Duque, Councillor for Culture, highlighted Óbidos' vision: “For a long time, culture was treated as a complement to public policies. In Óbidos, we want to challenge that view. We believe that literature can be a structuring public policy, capable of transforming education, fostering democracy, generating economic development, and creating new opportunities for territories. We don't just want to be a town where literary festivals happen. We want to be a territory where literature influences how we think, decide, and govern”.
The Strategic Council, composed of personalities with “background, suitability, and experience,” will aim to consolidate event programming and define the integration of literature as public policy across all municipal areas of action, ensuring “critical independence”.
Duque assured that the municipality has always granted “total freedom” to curators, without “blue pencil or ideological load” in programming. The strategy includes internationalization, valuing the Portuguese language in partnership with Lusophone countries, collaboration with academia, alliances with technology, and fostering new audiences in coordination with schools, emphasizing the importance of early contact with literature.
The councillor recalled the shared ambition with the then-president Telmo Faria to combat illiteracy and instill a love for reading, transforming Óbidos into a “space of connection” rather than just an event venue. Literature, he argued, can shape a territory's future.
“"The walls of Óbidos are not for defense, they are for communication, for walking to reach other places. I find it an extraordinary idea to think of this place with so much memory, which should also be a place of responsibility."
Pilar Del Río emphasized that literature, love, and responsibility are crucial for freedom and democracy, especially in a time of rising populism and superficiality in public debate. José Luís Peixoto, curator of the Latitudes festival, corroborated the importance of literature and culture for territorial and personal development, praising the municipality's vision to enrich Óbidos through profound literary work.
Pedro Freitas, the City Poet, proposed a monthly pass of 100 euros for 15-year-olds, to be spent exclusively on culture, as a measure to transform Óbidos over the next 10 years. He argued that new digital platforms are the future and that public entities must engage with young people in this sphere.
