A touch of Brazil in baroque Prague: Ambassador Orlando Leite Ribeiro invited guests to celebrate Brazil’s National Day at Troja Château, with First Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura as guests of honour.

On 8 September 2026, the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Prague celebrated its country’s Independence Day. The reception in the magnificent halls of Troja Château in Prague 8 was hosted by H.E. Orlando Leite Ribeiro, Ambassador of Brazil to the Czech Republic. Among the many guests from diplomacy, politics, business and culture, he welcomed two guests of honour: Karel Havlíček, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade, and Tomio Okamura, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament. PragueForum was there for you.

7 September: Brazil’s Road to Independence

Brazil’s National Day commemorates 7 September 1822. On that day, Crown Prince Pedro of Braganza is said to have uttered the famous cry “Independência ou Morte!” – “Independence or Death!” – on the banks of the Ipiranga stream near São Paulo. Ever since, the “Grito do Ipiranga” has been regarded as the birth of the Brazilian nation.

The story goes back to 1808. Fleeing Napoleon’s troops, the Portuguese court moved to Rio de Janeiro, which thus became the capital of a global empire. In 1815 Brazil was elevated to a kingdom on an equal footing with Portugal. When King João VI returned to Lisbon in 1821 and the Portuguese Cortes sought to reduce Brazil to a colony once more, his son Pedro, who had remained as regent, placed himself at the head of the independence movement.

On 1 December 1822 he was crowned Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. A detail of special interest to Central European readers: his wife was the Habsburg Archduchess Leopoldina of Austria, daughter of Emperor Francis I. As regent, she signed the decree of separation from Portugal on 2 September 1822, and in Brazil she is still honoured as one of the mothers of independence. Portugal recognised the sovereignty of its former colony in 1825; in 1889 Brazil became a republic.

The Host: Ambassador Orlando Leite Ribeiro

Orlando Leite Ribeiro has represented Brazil in Prague since September 2025. A career diplomat holding the rank of Minister First Class, he looks back on more than 33 years in the Brazilian foreign service. The Brazilian Senate confirmed his appointment in July 2025.

An economist by training, he is a recognised expert in economic and trade diplomacy. His postings have included the embassies in Asunción and Washington, as well as New York as commercial attaché. At Itamaraty, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he headed the Department of Trade and Investment Promotion. From 2019 to 2022 he served as Secretary for Trade and International Relations at the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and as Vice-Chairman of the Board of the agricultural research corporation Embrapa. Before coming to Prague, he was Ambassador to Spain and Andorra from 2022 to 2025.

At his Senate hearing he summed up his credo: diplomacy exists to help the country grow. For the Czech Republic he named his priorities as cooperation in the defence sector, expanding the coffee market, and partnerships in industry, semiconductors, energy and innovation.

Brazil and the Czech Republic: A Friendship with a Long Tradition

Relations between the two countries are older than many assume. On 18 December 1918, Brazil became the first Latin American country to recognise the young Czechoslovakia; in 1920 the first Czechoslovak envoy, Jan Klecanda, presented his credentials in Rio de Janeiro. In 2025 both sides celebrated 105 years of diplomatic relations. Brazil never recognised the Nazi occupation and restored relations with the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in London as early as 1942.

The human ties are close, too. One of Brazil’s most popular presidents, Juscelino Kubitschek – the founder of the capital Brasília – had Czech roots. Even before the Second World War, brands such as Škoda, ČKD and Jawa were household names in Brazil, and the first trade agreement was signed in 1931. After 1989 came Václav Havel’s state visit in 1996 and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s visit to Prague in 2008.

Economically, Brazil is today the Czech Republic’s second most important trading partner in Latin America. Czech exports consist mainly of machinery, measuring instruments, automotive parts and electrical engineering; Brazil exports pulp, iron ore, tobacco, meat, fruit and, of course, coffee. A prime example of industrial partnership is aviation: Aero Vodochody manufactures components for Embraer, and in July 2026 the Czech Air Force took delivery at Prague-Kbely of the first of two Embraer C-390 Millennium transport aircraft ordered – just 20 months after the contract was signed.

The agreement between the EU and Mercosur brings new momentum. After more than two decades of negotiations it was signed on 17 January 2026; its trade part has been provisionally applied since 1 May 2026, while the overall agreement is still under review by the European Court of Justice. For Czech exporters, this means tariffs on South America’s largest market are gradually falling. Politically, Brazil is an important partner for Prague on climate, energy and the global order – even if the two countries place different emphases, for example on the war in Ukraine.

Brazil in BRICS: A Bridge Between North and South

Brazil is a founding member of the BRICS group, which began in 2009 as an alliance of Brazil, Russia, India and China and admitted South Africa in 2010. Since 2024 the circle has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025. Brazil held the chairmanship in 2025 and hosted the summit in Rio de Janeiro in July; in the same year it welcomed the world to the COP30 climate conference in Belém.

Brasília sees its BRICS role as a voice of the Global South – for instance in calling for reform of the United Nations and the international financial institutions. At the same time it maintains close partnerships with Europe and the United States. This balance makes Brazil a self-confident and indispensable partner for the Czech Republic and the EU.

Troja Château: Baroque Splendour on the Vltava

The embassy could hardly have chosen a more impressive setting. Troja Château was built between 1679 and 1691 for Count Wenzel Adalbert of Sternberg to designs by the French architect Jean Baptiste Mathey. It is considered one of Prague’s most beautiful baroque châteaux and was conceived as a summer residence modelled on Roman villas. Its name recalls the ancient myth of Troy, which runs through its decorative programme.

Its centrepiece is the Imperial Hall, whose monumental frescoes celebrate the glory of the House of Habsburg. The magnificent outdoor staircase, adorned with sculptures of battling gods and giants, leads down into the strictly geometric French-style baroque garden. Today the château belongs to the Prague City Gallery and lies right next to Prague Zoo and the Botanical Garden, surrounded by the Troja vineyards. That the independence of a country whose first empress was a Habsburg was celebrated precisely here held a special charm.

A Brazilian Late-Summer Evening

After the official part, with speeches and the national anthems, the evening moved out onto the château’s terrace. In glorious late-summer weather, guests enjoyed Brazilian specialities and refreshing cocktails, including the indispensable caipirinha. With a view of the baroque garden and the golden evening light over Troja, there was lively conversation, networking and celebration well into the evening – entirely in the spirit of Brazilian joie de vivre.

PragueForum thanks Ambassador Orlando Leite Ribeiro and his team for the invitation and an unforgettable evening.

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