An exhibition telling the story of the past and present of the Portuguese community in Bloemfontein is on show in the Oliewenhuis Art Museum until Friday, 15 November.
Dr Derek de Bruyn, principal museum scientist at the National Museum in Bloemfontein, initiated the research and spoke with many local Portuguese families in the city, documenting their arrival and integration into the local community.
Graça Fonseca, the consul general of Portugal stationed in Johannesburg, officially opened the exhibition. She praised De Bruyn and his team for this ongoing project telling the stories of many Portuguese families.
She said there are around 200 Portuguese families living in Bloemfontein.
Many fathers and grandfathers came to South Africa because of the difficult economic situation in Portugal after the Second World War and settled here, establishing many well-known businesses.
