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A community newsletter for the western Algarve
FEBRuary 2015
In this issue... What's On: Duo Edan
Getting the act together Theatre is very much alive in Lagos
Classical music concert during February
Health: Why you should give
Outdoor: Subtropical species
Yoga a try
And so much more...
Ten year vision to boost tourism the Portuguese Discoveries including the area’s links to the slave trade. In an exclusive interview with ‘Tomorrow’ Joaquina Matos, Mayor of Lagos, outlined the significance of the plan. Lagos Câmara unveiled its master plan for the municipal area at the end of last month – 12 years after work started on the process – with the focus firmly on promoting tourism and development in the area. The plan sets out the Câmara’s vision for Lagos and surrounding villages for the next 10 years. One of the key ideas will be to promote all-year round tourism through the history of
She said it would allow a new more coordinated approach for the management of the whole municipality. In broad terms Ms Matos said the plans would promote tourism, business and new technology companies. She said there was a focus on the area to become increasingly environmentally aware. Lagos already boasts a number of blue flag beaches and natural reserves that need to be enhanced.
By a staff writer
One of the central projects she revealed was the idea to promote tourism through Lagos’s slave history. There is already a Slave Museum in the city but it will be expanded under this vision for the future. She said: “Lagos was the centre of the slave business. It’s not pleasant but it is something that we have to face.” Some experts believe that Lagos offers a huge insight into Europe’s African slave trade. The slave market in Lagos, which was set up in 1444, was the first of its kind in Europe. It was here that the first slaves were sold after they had been captured and transported from Africa. Ms Matos said that skeletons uncovered behind the city walls when a car park was being constructed in 2009 were found to be those of slaves that had just been thrown into a rubbish tip. She said academics had been studying the bodies since the discovery and had Continued on page 14 >
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