June is Portuguese Heritage Month in Canada! This month is a time to recognize the incredible contributions of Portuguese Canadians in our community and in Canadian history. Canada is home to over half a million people with Portuguese heritage and has one of the largest Portuguese diasporas in the world. Right here in Kitchener, 11% of our community speaks Portuguese as their primary language at home. We encourage you to check out our library collections to celebrate the works of Portuguese-Canadian authors and learn more about Portuguese cultural experiences.
Kitchener Public Library Resources
Curated Reading Lists
For a look into the Portuguese Canadian experience, check out our reading list for adults and our reading list for children. These lists include titles by Portuguese Canadian authors, including Esmerelda Cabral, Anthony De Sa, Carmelinda Scian, Anthony Oliveira, Cody Caestano, Erika De Vasconcelos and Tony Correia.
Grace Schmidt Room of Local History
Interested in learning more about the history of Portuguese Canadians in Waterloo Region? Visit the Grace Schmidt Room of Local History to check out newspaper clippings about the Portuguese community, the "The Portuguese in Canada: Waterloo Region" article in volume 75 of the Waterloo Historical Society journals and this photo of the Cambridge Portuguese Community Band from 1984.
Virtual Library Resources
Access digital library resources with your library card wherever you have internet access! Check out these selections for Portuguese Heritage Month:
- Find children's stories in Portuguese on LOTE4Kids
- Learn Portuguese on Mango Languages
- Discover fado, a traditional genre of Portuguese music, through films on Kanopy. Silêncio - Voices of Lisbon and Fados are two films that explore this deeply soulful style of music.
Community Resources
We hope you enjoy exploring these resources for Portuguese Heritage Month!