Making Home: Celebrating the Maidan Uprising in Braga, Portugal

Abstract: This study examines the significance of the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred in Braga, northwestern Portugal. Inaugurated in April 2016 by the local municipality and the Ukrainian community, the monument pays tribute to the protesters who lost their lives during the Maidan Square protests in Kyiv from 2013 to 2014. These protests were decisive in the ongoing advocacy for Ukraine’s identity and integration into the European Union. This study explores the monument’s symbolic representation, the community’s engagement in cultural memory activities, and the broader implications of such memorials on diaspora identities. Additionally, it stresses its centrality to the Ukrainian community in the city and the country, underscoring its role in preserving cultural memory and promoting solidarity within the diaspora and the host society. The monument stands as one of the five significant urban recognitions of Ukraine in Portugal, proving its importance in maintaining the cultural and historical ties of the Ukrainian diaspora. This study reveals that the Ukrainian community in Portugal has secured a uniquely privileged position in public commemoration, as exemplified by the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred in Braga.

Reference: Simões, C., & Sarmento, J. (2025). Construire un foyer ukrainien au Portugal: la commémoration d’Euromaïdan à Braga. Culture & Musées. Muséologie et recherches sur la culture, (46), 81-104. https://doi.org/10.4000/159cc