On the 25th and 26th of September, the 2nd Meeting of the Cities of Knowledge Project took place in Faro, at the António Ramos Rosa Municipal Library.
A project led by Faro City Council as part of an initiative of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), promoted through Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language, IPO project, developed in triangular cooperation between Faro (Portugal), Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina), Praia (Cape Verde) and Matola (Mozambique), aims to transform libraries and museums into more sustainable, inclusive and technologically up-to-date spaces, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, placing culture at the center of development strategies.
The meeting was attended by Clara Saraiva, an anthropologist and researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon, specializing in topics such as religion, heritage, migration, and medical anthropology, and Salomé Horta, technical coordinator of the University of Algarve Library, with extensive experience in academic library management. Moderation and facilitation were provided by Susana Silvestre, a specialist in high-performance leadership, innovation, and design thinking, with over 25 years of experience in cultural transformation and library networks.
The program included a panel on the role of museums and libraries in local development, a roundtable discussion with directors of cultural facilities from Faro and the Argentine city of Comodoro Rivadavia, as well as visits to the Faro Municipal Museum and the University of Algarve Library. The meeting strengthened international cooperation in the field of culture, promoted training and knowledge sharing among professionals, and laid the foundation for the creation of a common digital platform, empowering more creative, collaborative, and sustainable cities.
The Cidades do Saber Project aims to train library and museum professionals in the municipalities of Faro, Comodoro Rivadavia, Matola, and Praia in areas such as digital transformation, environmental sustainability, gender perspective, and bilingualism. Its main objectives include:
• Integrate sustainable practices into cultural facilities;• Promote gender equity and inclusion;
• Promote linguistic diversity;• Modernize services through digital transformation;
• Encourage innovation and creativity;
• Create a common digital platform for museum inventory.
The project includes training and mentoring programs for professionals, as well as the creation of the aforementioned digital platform and has a budget of approximately 100 thousand euros and is financed to 85% by the Portugal–Latin America–Africa Triangular Cooperation Fund.
