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<\/a><\/dt>\n- National tournament in Portugal
\n(c) Micael Pereira<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\nA Slow Climb<\/b><\/p>\n
Things started to take shape. Soon another debate society was born in the Faculty of Economics, and little over a year later we decided to merge into the University of Porto Debate Society. We then decided to take things to the next level and started competing in international tournaments in November 2010 (IDAS). The following summer we organized the first International Debate Camp \u2013 an event which combines world-class training, a relaxed competition, daily outdoor activities and a day just for sightseeing, wine tasting and other nice experiences in Porto. Soon we had five debate societies in Portugal \u2013 Porto, Lisbon, Minho, Vila Real and Coimbra, later joined by Nova Lisbon \u2013 and in February 2012, we were organizing our first national tournament, Torneio Nacional de Debates Universit\u00e1rios <\/i>(also known as TORNADU). More tournaments followed: the Lisbon Open, Coimbra Open, Minho Open, UTAD Debate Academy, and other smaller or punctual competitions \u2013 for now all of which in Portuguese. Tournaments are not very large, but they have become increasingly competitive \u2013 sometimes perhaps too much\u2026 \u2013 and new wave of debate societies is currently appearing in Aveiro, the Catholic University, and in the Institute for Social and Political Sciences. The current debate societies now boast over a 1000, though only some 200 could be considered active. We have been incredibly lucky to find incredible people in most of the country\u2019s leading universities: full of energy, passion and talent, willing to make sacrifices in their personal and academic lives to assume leadership positions in their debate societies.<\/p>\n
Internationally, the economic crisis accentuated the effects of our relative geographic isolation \u2013 the closest international IV outside Portugal is in Paris. Most of our debaters cannot afford travelling abroad for a debate competition; universities have received huge cuts to their budget; sponsors are scarce, and often don\u2019t trust students\u2019 initiatives. Still, so far five debate societies have made their debut in international competitions, whose members participated in 25 international competitions in the past three years. Results have been a mix of failures and successes; but we have had teams breaking in seven of those competitions, and judges breaking in five of them. Many of these positive results have been from Porto, but not all: Coimbra sent large contingents to a few tournament, Cl\u00e1udia Freitas (Minho) reached the quarter-finals of IDAS 2012, and Jo\u00e3o Francisco S\u00e1 (Lisbon) has seen some recognition internationally as judge.<\/p>\n
Climax<\/b><\/p>\n
In the Spring of 2012, after a fair share of disappointments, Tiago Laranjeiro and I teamed up together, started muddling our way through the tab and improving our results reaching the ESL final of the Oxford IV. We felt prepared to take on the task of making it the WUDC 2013, where we won the EFL category, and took home the prizes for best speaker, 6th<\/sup> best speaker, and best speaker in the final. The victory had a significant media impact at home, raising awareness for debate in Portugal and it likely played a role in helping us get a sponsor for the national debate movement: \u201cFunda\u00e7\u00e3o Francisco Manuel dos Santos\u201d (FFMS). \u201cAnd everyone lived happily forever after\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n
This would probably be the best way to end this story: a compelling tale of how a few friends in a college bar who started out a movement a thousand people strong and won the world\u2019s greatest debate competition \u2013 though in its least prestigious category. There are no happy endings for those behind the curtain.<\/p>\n
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![\"Ary](\"https:\/\/www.achteminute.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ary-400x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/dt>\n- Ary Ferreira Da Cunha
\n(c) Rui Duarte Silva<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\nAnti-Climax<\/b><\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t become much easier to find more people with a passion for it. In a country where half of the past 500 years were spent under the inquisition, and half of the past 100 under a dictatorship, debate is sophistry, deceit, proselytism, vanity, intellectual arrogance or egotism in disguise. \u201cWhat\u2019s the point of it, if in the end there is no conclusion?\u201d. Furthermore, many of the first societies to appear are now reaching a critical point where they need to renew their boards and capture new talent, not just for debate but also for organizing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOld habits die hard\u201d, but new ones seem hard to catch. People don\u2019t see debate as something useful \u2013 an opportunity to improve your analysis and communication skills \u2013 neither as something fun \u2013 a chance to travel and make friendships with people from different academic and cultural backgrounds.<\/p>\n
May be what\u2019s missing is to present debate as an exercise of empathy, where we tell others why should they care for others \u2013 the poor, the future generations, women, children, gays, among other CA favourites. Debate doesn\u2019t just provide you with analysis and communication skills to stand-up for yourself, but also to stand-up for others, and \u2013 more importantly \u2013 to show others how to stand-up for themselves. That\u2019s essential for an informed and participative citizenry, demanding and exercising accountability, and from which leaders better equip to make decisions that promote the public interest, and to render account can emerge.<\/p>\n
Analepsis <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
The hidden part of the Portuguese debating history is that this is not its first incarnation. In 1999, the \u201cLisbon Debate Society\u201d was formed, and the following year debate societies in Porto, Coimbra, Minho and Viseu appeared \u2013 a national circuit very similar to the current one. They organized national tournaments, went to competitions abroad, and some speakers even had significant success \u2013 Pedro Delgado Alves (Lisbon) \u2013 was best ESL speaker in a British tournament. I attended part of a tournament back then, probably in 2004, while in high school; but when I entered university in 2006, it was all gone: no competitions, no societies, and no one seemed to remember that they ever existed! For years we thought that tournament had been a one-off thing organized but an English lecturer (John Ross) with his students and a few other people.<\/p>\n
Catharsis <\/i><\/b>and Anti-Catharsis<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
We don\u2019t believe history is going to repeat itself. The movement is still expanding to other universities; participation in international competitions is stronger than it was a decade ago, allowing faster learning; there are many talented debaters in a number of societies; some high school debating is starting to emerge; better means of communication help organize and coordinate events, and improve the speed and quality of collective decisions both in each society and in across the movement.<\/p>\n
If the history of Portuguese debating can tell how that much can be accomplished in so little time by a group of determined people, its pre-history should be a reminder to us all that our ability to do a good work depends on making ourselves dispensable when we are gone; on training people willing to pass on their skills; on sustaining, if not true friendships, at least networks of solidarity between societies; on forwarding the message that here we don\u2019t just debate for ourselves \u2013 even if debate is incredibly useful and fun \u2013 but also because we want to help build a new generation of informed, participative, demanding and empathic citizens and better leaders.<\/p>\n
Our (his)story may not be that extraordinary, but at least for me it seems to convey a couple of useful teachings. And if it lacks a proper end its because it is still unfolding: as some bow before the curtain, new characters are coming to age, leading the plot to unexpected new adventures, shaping the story of debate in Portugal. I am pretty sure this won\u2019t be the last time you hear about us.<\/p>\n
Ary Ferreira da Cunha\/ak<\/em><\/p>\n
- Ary Ferreira Da Cunha
- National tournament in Portugal
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