AC Minho – Looking to the Future

Associação Cultural do Minho de Toronto (ACMT) has experienced many stages in its nearly fifty years of existence, but none as exciting as in current times. Led by a Board of Directors composed of mostly youth, the organization is finding inventive ways to attract the newest generation of Luso-Canadians. This is mainly due to the outstanding efforts of the young board led by president, Paulo Pereira, who has been part of the association since birth.

Although substantial new initiatives are being promoted, the cultural essence and focus of ACMT has remained intact. Its Rancho Folclórico, founded even before the association itself, continues to attract the largest number of regular participants of all ages, as Paulo Pereira told us during a conversation held in April of 2023: “We have 4-year-old dancers, and I am the oldest, at 29. Then, we have the musical ensemble that is composed of older members, of my parents’ age. There is an evident transition of generations, which is something we want to maintain. Our dances, music and attire represent the Alto Minho region of Portugal.”

The folk-dance section is composed of children and adult groups. 

Musicians and singers from the rancho folclórico often perform traditional songs separately from the dancers. They are known as the grupo de rusgas. Each January, the group experiences a sudden and temporary growth when it travels the city visiting commercial establishments to sing the traditional cantar dos reis, a day-long event that announces the arrival of the three kings.

The bombos (called “Os Alegres”), a traditional bass drum played in festivals held in northern Portugal, has also become a relevant cultural component regularly showcased by ACM. The instrument is usually accompanied by walking giants with oversized heads called “Os Cabeçudos”. This combination is known in Portugal as “Zés Pereiras”. Around the turn of the millennium, the association brought the concept to Canada, which has attracted much attention at various annual events.

“It’s a group that maintains the Zés Pereiras tradition from the Minho region, which is composed of bombos and the traditional Cabeçudos. The Cabeçudos only perform at special occasions such as Portugal Day, Santoinho, and at our annual picnic, but they are ready to go at any moment. They arrived from Viana do Castelo. I still remember them being packed into boxes and placed in a shipping container. The Grupo de Bombos started with two drums and two bombos around the late eighties and early nineties. I remember my father playing the bombo at the Portugal Day parade with the rest of the group. About ten years ago, we raised the number of drums and bombos to six each. The Cabeçudos have been with us since at least 1997 because I remember their performance at the first Santoinho that we organized”, Paulo Pereira revealed.

The organization’s headquarters is busy most weekends. It is here that members and supporters gather and where the performing groups practice. The new Board is gradually introducing more initiatives at this location, but some annual events attract crowds that far exceed the hall’s capacity of 120. These occasions include the Easter celebration, Arraial de Santoinho, and the annual picnic.

“We had over 700 guests at our last Easter celebration”, Paulo Pereira proudly stated to then add: “We also have the Santoinho, which is usually held at the end of September or the start of October, that attracts over one thousand people. We currently hold it at the Tibetan Hall, in Etobicoke. Our Santoinho is organized in collaboration with the Santoinho in Portugal. We collaborate with Fundação Santoinho to maintain the tradition as close as possible to how it’s done in Portugal. In regards to our annual picnic, it’s an opportunity for people to get together, spend an afternoon playing soccer, playing the concertina, listening to the bombos, going to mass, and maintaining our traditions.” The annual picnic is currently held at the Croatian Karlovac Park, in Milton.   

Not long ago, the art of playing traditional instruments was taught at ACMT, but the program waned due to the lack of interest. Paulo Pereira believes, however, that the project can be resurrected given the renewed interest from many of the younger members and supporters of the association. As he put it, “a minhoto without a concertina is not a minhoto.”

Some of the new projects proposed by the new Board of Directors are already in motion. One such is the tutoring program, led by a mathematics teacher, that runs every Friday evening at the association’s headquarters. Students of all grades take advantage of the opportunity, and they come from all backgrounds, as Paulo Pereira informed: “They don’t need to be members or be Portuguese. We even have university students attending the program.”

The implementation of regular events at the association’s home is something that Paulo Pereira and his Board have started. These include smaller parties and gatherings that serve both a cultural and a social purpose. However, the president has even bigger plans: “This Board has focused on organizing many events at our headquarters, mainly geared toward Portuguese culinary. We intend to open a culinary school, have my mother and members of the association teach the traditional Portuguese cuisine to the younger generations. The project is not yet fully developed but it will be launched soon.”

Just as was the case with other community organizations across the country, Associação Cultural do Minho was also heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. During that period, Paulo Pereira resided and worked in Europe. When he returned to Canada, he found ACMT lingering. “I spoke with people my age and even younger than me. I told them that we needed to change things here, to rejuvenate the institution and move it forward. We love this place. We needed to take care of it because it once took care of us. That’s what the pandemic provoked in me and many of my friends. We realized we needed to make an effort. I am not here to reinvent the association, but to stabilize it. I would like to see the association, and the community in general, stronger and united and if I can be part of that, then I will. I want to see an organization that is active, that preserves the culture, and that offers a comfortable space for social interactions. This is what I am working toward”, Paulo Pereira stated.

As a result of this rejuvenation, the organization’s presence in the various social media platforms is already causing great impact. Recently, one of its videos went viral on TikTok. This phenomenon is also helping ACMT promote its mission and crucial elements of the Portuguese culture.

Paulo Pereira is not only introducing new projects, but also a new mentality geared toward a sustainable future for the organization. “For many years, I heard that we should support the youth. It is one of those scenarios that it’s much easier to say than to do. We must realize that, since the nineties, the waves of immigration that sustained our associations stagnated and dwindled. This means that our organizations must adapt to cater not only to those who come from Portugal but also to the Luso-Canadians who were born here, and to offer services that are attractive to them. This means that not every activity will be cultural and directly related to Portugal, but can be relatable to Luso-Canadians. Our day to day is no longer related to the traditions from the village. It is related to what we do here in Toronto and in Ontario and to our experiences, which are different from the ones our parents had”, Paulo Pereira said.

The new president is also introducing more effective ways to manage the affairs of the association, a measure that he hopes will have a positive impact for years to come. The idea is to create an operational model that can be easily communicated during the transition of the Board of Directors, and then replicated. “Although we are a community centre, we must have sound business models and have protocols in place to solve certain situations. We need to preserve the culture but also do things in a simple and organized manner”, Pereira stated.

Although ACMT is currently financially stable and enjoys wide interest from its members and supporters, Paulo Pereira believes that a new model is needed for our community organizations: “I personally think that we are set for five or ten good years. We have energy, we are focused, and we want to help our association evolve. However, I think that, within the next 5 or 10 years, our community needs to unite and form a Casa de Portugal where we can operate not only with volunteers but also with professionals. Either we reach that point or many of our associations will disappear, and we have already begun to witness that. I think we have much more to gain by working on a community project than to simply preserve the existing associations. I don’t think that there’s one community organization in the Portuguese community capable of surviving the next 100 years.”

For now, Paulo Pereira and his Board of Directors are working diligently to make Associação Cultural do Minho de Toronto a model to be followed by other Portuguese community associations across Canada. As we integrate and disperse into the general society, the need for creating more sustainable organizations becomes crucial. If we involve the youth, listen to them, and allow them to be part of the decision-making process, we have a chance at maintaining our cultural relevance a century from now. ACMT is doing its part. Will the rest be able to follow?