Casa Cultural de Vila do Conde

Dissolved

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Casa Cultural de Vila do Conde was founded on October 12, 1997 and registered in the Ministry of Consumers and Ontario Commercial Relations in February of 1998.  The idea was to provide the immigrants from the coastal city of Vila do Conde a space in which they could gather to share experiences and reminisce about life in the old country. 

Ovidio Ramos, former President of the association, in an interview with Luso-Ontario Magazine, in 2008, revealed that there were 30 founders.  “We were all from Vila do Conde.  The introduction ceremony was held at New Casa Abril”, he informed.  However, unrevealed disputes nearly led to the association’s dissolution shortly after but Jose Carlos Eusebio took it upon himself to see that it wouldn’t happen.  “It was with him as president that we rented a hall in 1998.   I helped set this place up and from there the organization began to grow.  However, in the past few years, we have struggled to maintain our members interested in the association”, Ramos revealed during the interview. 

During those few years before the association ceased to exist, there were efforts to introduce new activities, such as a soccer team and a folk group, but even those that came to fruition did not prevent an inevitable ending to a short-lived organization. 

Casa Cultural de Vila do Conde’s last home was at 1110 Dundas Street West.  In its heyday, it had over 200 paying members. 

With files from Luso-Ontario Magazine, 2008

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