New Bedford Times article by Pedro Amaral

New England Lands The Codfish Academy
This story appeared on Page B7 of The Standard-Times on May 5, 2002.
by Pedro Amaral

 Last Saturday, about 350 people gathered at Beira Alta restaurant in Fall River for the international baptism of the New England Codfish Academy. Of those in attendance, 130 were guests from Portugal, Canada, South Africa, Brazil and Australia.

Cod academies had their start in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1968, when a group of businessmen, who frequently met for dinner to discuss social issues, decided to create an organization to help the poorest of their community. One of its founders, a former student of Porto University, suggested the name academy as a gag. The rest of the group adopted the name and the fist Academy of Codfish was born.

 Today, there are 35 worldwide academies including the newest one, in New England. The groups' motto is, among other things, to promote and to encourage cooperation and friendship between communities, regardless of social position and cultural level of individuals, and also to help disseminate the culture and traditional values of the countries where academies exist.

José Maria dos Santos, president of the Johannesburg chapter, presented Dr. Manuel Luciano Da Silva, the New England chapter president, with a banner and a bronze bell giving the new academy its official status. He said the main objective of all the academies continues to be "to provide moral and material assistance to individuals and charitable institutions."

The ceremonies included speeches from presidents of several academies including, Toronto, New Jersey, Estoril and Lisbon. After, the crowd was served a feast of cod and other condiments.

Traveling from Coimbra, Portugal, for the occasion were guitar players Carlos Jesus and Paulo Larguesa, who accompanied Victor Almeida e Silva in a series of traditional fados of Coimbra. Poet Aurelino Costa was also with the group and provided moments of exciting poetry from renowned Portuguese poets. A group of female students from Póvoa do Varzim, Portugal, also was on hand to provide traditional ballads and dances from that northern region.

Minda Paulo, reining Miss Fall River, stopped by to welcome the guests to Fall River, and to wish the academy well.

After the ceremony, Dr. Da Silva said it was fitting for a codfish academy to be located in New England. "We are in the land of cod," Dr. Da Silva said. "It was named by the ancient Portuguese fishermen who roamed the waters off Newfoundland and New England. We had all these people come visit us today, and what a wonderful and positive experience it has been.

"Dr. Da Silva said the group had visited several local places of interest, including the Touro synagogue and Dighton Rock museum. He said everyone seemed genuinely interested in all theories about the rocks' inscriptions, particularly the one linking it to Miguel Corte Real, a Portuguese navigator.

Afonso da Silva, New England chapter treasurer, said it was the most people the academy ever gathered. "It has been a bit hectic," he said. We are used to having about 100 people per gathering. Tonight we have three times as much.

Frederico Pacheco, vice president, said all the guests were well-received, and he praised Dr. Da Silva for his enthusiasm in bringing international status to the local organization. "That is the only way Dr. Da Silva operates," he said. "We should have in our community a few other people like my old friend Dr. Da Silva. He really makes a difference wherever he is."

Dr. Da Silva said the academy has purchased 650 books with the leftover money from its monthly dinners and has distributed them among local schools and libraries. "I am glad it's done," he said. "We spend four days picking up our guests from the airports and touring with them."

Pedro Amaral can be reached at 123 Ames St. Fall River, MA 02721, or email to LusoLife@apol.net

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