While the mainland is focused on World Youth Day, the Azorean island of Terceira is busily putting the finishing touches to its own festival, marking the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the British air force. Explains organiser Judite Parreira: “It is important, from time to time, to remember what is ours. The history of Ramo Grande is very interesting, because it was what economically projected the municipality, since it was the island’s granary, when wheat was planted, until later when the English arrived and when it was transformed into an airfield, then with the arrival of the Americans and until today”. She tells Lusa that “people were frightened by the destruction of the wheat fields at the time, in the sense that they (feared they) would become even poorer, because they were already poor, but the opposite was true. The cement ended up giving more bread than the wheat.” The air base on the island is now an integral part of the local economy, responsible for hundreds of jobs, whether direct or indirect.
