Caetano Veloso is awarded a Cultural Merit Medal

The Prime Minister noted Caetano Veloso’s work as ambassador of the Portuguese language throughout the world.

"Caetano’s songs and poems are part of our common heritage. His oeuvre, one of the most extraordinary and inventive of our times, is a reason of pride for all those who speak Portuguese", he stated at the ceremony, which was held Tuesday afternoon at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence in São Bento, Lisbon.

"Caetano Veloso was one of the Brazilian musicians who helped my generation hear Portuguese in songs. To have us realise that singing didn’t have to be in Englis only. Caetano Veloso brought us back together with our own poetry, our fado, and rediscovering our own heroes", he added.

This civilian accolade was set up in 1984 to reward Portuguese or foreign individuals or entities for their dedication to cultural action and dissemination. Caetano Veloso is now joining the ranks of such names as Agustina Bessa-Luís, Manoel de Oliveira, and Álvaro Siza-Vieira.