Tribute to Diogo Vasconcelos

Tribute to Diogo Vasconcelos

Diogo Vasconcelos, Chairman, 1968-2011

On Friday 8th July, our dear friend and colleague Diogo Vasconcelos passed away suddenly. His passing has left a gaping hole in our lives and he will be desperately missed by his friends and family as well as those who have had the pleasure and privilege to work with him over the years in his capacity as Chair of the Dialogue Café Association.


For Diogo, Dialogue Café epitomised what he believed to be the new globalisation: ‘collaboration, not standardisation’. He believed that when people come together across oceans and continents, true magic happened. He talked animatedly about the school children and students in Rio de Janeiro and Lisbon who met via Dialogue Café and continued their friendship through Facebook; he danced his heart out at the amazing transatlantic jam session that took place at the launch of the first two Cafés; and, when he returned from the last SIX Spring School in Amsterdam, he spoke enthusiastically of how we could use Dialogue Café to support developing democracies in the Middle East.


He was a true evangelist and absolutely convinced of the power and potential of Dialogue Café. This was especially the case in the Middle East and in particular, in Ramallah. He spoke passionately about the ability of Dialogue Café to give a voice and platform to Palestinians; to connect students at Birzeit University with students and professors in other parts of the world; to help train doctors and nurses; and to link Palestinian entrepreneurs with advisors and investors from other parts of the world. For the last year, Diogo has worked tirelessly to bring Dialogue Café to Ramallah. We, for our part, will continue what he started and turn his dream into a reality.


He was also so excited about extending the network of Dialogue Cafés – to Sao Paulo, London, Lille, Paris, Wroclaw, Florence, Belgrade, Cairo, Doha, Ramallah, Lagos, Nairobi and in Australia – and was always coming up with new ideas and ambition plans for the Association. His energy and enthusiasm knew absolutely no bounds.


For those who knew Diogo, this is how we was in all areas of his life and work. He was a force of nature - completely relentless and unstoppable - when it came to projects that he cared about deeply. He was also kind, gentle, humble, unassuming and modest. And, he had the rare quality of making those around him feel special and good about themselves. He was always quick to give credit where it was due and even when his praise was excessive, it was sincere and heartfelt. He was intellectually curious and his breadth of interests was truly remarkable. He always had about 20 books on the go and scoured the web for interesting videos, talks, articles and blogs – many of which he shared with his friends on Facebook and Twitter. Alone, many of these qualities are rare, but together, they are exceptional.


Above all, however, it was his passion for people that really stands out. It was his combination of qualities and characteristics that explains why he made friends everywhere he went and so easily - and it is really is no exaggeration to say that he had friends in every corner, nook and cranny of the globe.


Diogo was proud to have been born in May 1968 – the year that students took to the streets and changed the world. He was radical and progressive, and cared deeply about social justice, and in his own way, brought a little of the spirit of ’68 to all the things he did. It has been an immense pleasure and privilege working with Diogo over the last few years. At Dialogue Café, we will do everything in our power to make him proud.


You can view obituaries from the President of Portugal here, and from President Barroso here.
For more reflections and tributes for Diogo, please see the SIX website.