It has existed, in fact, since January, so the “Meeting Networking de Elite”, on the 13th, in Lisbon, will act as a summary of the activities of this first year and, looking forward to 2026.
CNLP purposes, challenges and the little idiosyncrasies of the “tuga boss” and the Portuguese businessman:
It aims to filter a little more than chambers of commerce, as it groups companies into development/partnership centers, without the risk of them competing with each other and between the various established centers. Language is the common link, “from Minho to Timor”, and hence the Lusophone ambition and reach of this Circle, which seeks business and influence! This is the basic principle, and then comes the fight of the founder, Engineer Olga Amorim, who will face the great challenge of dealing with other Portuguese, all with noses, some less in the air, others with more mustard!
And this is the point that any Portuguese person needs to understand. The first defeat is speaking the same language and not understanding each other, the second, “merchant ears”! All nobility, even when they say “Portugali”, which is cheaper!
How do you mobilize and encourage “these people”, who are us? With new lies!
It’s true, Engª Olga will have to permanently invent sunrises and supermoons, to keep the associates focused. In other words, the CNLP must have a robust communications department, which must present weekly proposals, updates, business opportunities in non-traditional markets, activities/agenda of the most diverse chambers of commerce, crossword puzzles, plus the kitten video! In other words, for a project like this to work, it has to provide what others do not provide, the opportunity for “registration”, the lack of which our José Gil identifies as the main Portuguese failure, ever! “Exchanged for kids”, the term is equivalent to the popular “wearing the shirt”! In short, the “Raulesque” suggestion is to create within the a “CNLP Times” or a “CNLP News”, detailing new technologies as much as possible. “Where there is no image, there is no news”, this is a void to be filled.
As for the importance of the Portuguese language, after 900 years, with 300 million speakers, the sixth language on the planet and still unofficial in the 45th of New York, I always remember that, “integrity” is what we do and say, when we are sure that no one is watching or listening. Frankly, I only see Spanish people born in Portugal!
Good luck CNLP, “don’t be French, you’re Portuguese, you’re just for us”!
Political scientist/Arabist
Professor at the Piaget Institute of Almada
The author writes according to the old spelling.