The Portuguese Language Museum brings the verse of Pessoa to life, by his heteronym Bernardo Soares: “My homeland is my language”. It celebrates a larger “homeland”, without borders and so global as the Portuguese Language is. Opened to the public, in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2006, the PLM (Portuguese Language Museum), it would eventually close down in 2015, when it suffered a massive fire. Since then, and even during its recovery, it kept its purpose alive of “appreciation for the diversity of the Portuguese language, celebrating it as a founding fundamental element of culture and bringing it closer to the idiom speakers all over the world”, as it’s disclosed on the museum website. Aligned with its values and commitments, EDP was the main sponsor for the reconstruction of PLM, with a contribution of nearly 25% of the total value of the work. And in 2021, like a phoenix, PLM was arising from its own ashes, with the same purpose, but yet more alive, technological and interactive.

To rescue history and create a larger homeland

A motive for EDP’s pride taking is having had contributed to the inauguration and giving back to PLM’s society, one of the most important cultural icon in Brazil.

Giving the museum back to population, in July 2021, was only possible with an alliance between the public power and private initiative. São Paulo State Government, partnered with Roberto Marinho Foundation, designed the reconstruction of the PLM, that had EDP as the master sponsor and other sponsors, such as Globo Group, Itaú Group and Sabesp.

A binding language

Choosing the location for the realization of this museum is on its own, emblematic for the objectives of this museum, which is one of the first totally finished museums dedicated to one idiom. PLM was erected in São Paulo, the city with the largest number of Portuguese speakers in the world, and the historic Estação da Luz, also full of meaning. Since forever, this Estação was one of the main passageways for immigrants that arrived to Brazil and they stay to this point, a dynamic space of contact and intercultural interaction, where different brazilian accents can be heard.

A museum for everyone

If we think that Portuguese is the official language of 9 countries, which means, more than 260 million people, without counting Macau, and that at least 7 million people speak Portuguese and live abroad their native countries, we can actually say that this won’t be a museum for everyone, but it will certainly be for many Portuguese language speakers all over the world.

In the first years when it started functioning, between 2006 and 2015, PLM received 3.931.040 visitors, over than 30 temporary exhibitions, courses, lectures, artistic presentations and several awards. A rich cultural and artistic offer, prepared by a multidisciplinary team that allowed visitors to connect in an interactive and dynamic way to the origin, history and diversity of the Portuguese Language.

Rising literally from the ashes

After 5 years of reconstruction jobs, the museum presents new experiences, predominantly supported by interactive and technological resources that lead the public in a sensorial trip, in which the Portuguese Language reveals itself as diverse, rich, cultural, artistic, alive, and under construction.

We’ve highlighted a little of what you can find at the PLM main exhibition:

Because they are the most endearing experiences for the public, the Beco das Palavras and the  Praça da Língua (World Alley and Language Plaza), were kept in the museum and renewed with new technology.

Beco das Palavras - In interactive tables, we’ve uncovered in an educational way the origin of the portuguese language words and the mechanisms with which our language renews itself.

Praça da Língua - Considered one of the most original experiences in the museum, a type of “idiom planetarium”, pays an homage to written, spoken and sang portuguese language, in an immersive show of light and sound.

Of the new PLM premisses are, for example, Línguas do Mundo – Os sons dos idiomas and Falares, (World Languages - Idioms sounds and spoken words).

Línguas do Mundo – Os sons dos idiomas, where visitors can listen to the sonority of 23 languages ( of over 7 thousand languages spoken in the planet).

Falares, that bring different accents, vocabulary, and visions of the World through the same language.

Along with the reviewed and magnified content from the exhibitions, PLM has a new terrace, with a view over the Jardim da Luz and the Torre do Relógio, and because of the circumstances, has reinforced  fire prevention measures.

In order to belong by and for everyone, the Museum was also designed with physical accessibility and content resources.

EDP continues on the pathway of the preservation of culture, and besides the Portuguese Language Museum, it sponsors the restoration of Ipiranga Museum, built as an homage for the independence of Brazil. It allied even more to the Recovering History initiative, by BNDES (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Económico e Social), that aims to recover and streamline the material and immaterial heritage of Brazil.

Impact (results)