04/07/2024 – 22:24
The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), stated this Thursday, the 4th, that he intends to transform the date of July 2nd into a second official day of Brazilian Independence.
The statement was made during the laying of the Orion cornerstone in Campinas (SP). The PT member spoke about the need to value the country and national history. He stated that true independence occurred after the date that is celebrated today, September 7, 1822.
“There is independence, which was the emperor’s cry, and we don’t even know if he really gave the cry […] But we had the true independence of Brazil, which was the final result of the expulsion of the last Portuguese on July 2nd in Salvador, Bahia. There was a struggle there and there were female heroes. Many women fought to guarantee independence,” said the PT member.
The date in question is celebrated annually in Bahia as a historical symbol of when the Portuguese were expelled from the country.
Since 1822, the people of Bahia had been demanding national sovereignty and a government made up of Brazilians. The Portuguese crown did not approve of the revolution, as it did not want to lose control of the colony. From then on, battles were fought until reaching Salvador on July 2, 1823, when the last Portuguese lost the dispute definitively and had to abandon the country.
This week, for the third time, Lula actively participated in the celebration in Salvador. With marching bands, politicians and popular groups present, the president walked through the city streets following the parade last Tuesday, the 2nd. The state governor, Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT), reported that Lula wants to add the history celebrated today in Bahia to Brazilian school textbooks.
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