The 25th Lusofonia Festival will be held from today through Sunday at the Taipa Houses, with this year’s event focusing on Macanese culture, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) said in a statement yesterday.
The three-day festival takes place concurrently with the “Encounter in Macau – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”.
The festival’s first edition was held in 1998 and has become “an important event to share the Portuguese-speaking communities’ culture”, showcasing Macau’s role as a platform for cultural exchanges between the Chinese mainland and the Portuguese-speaking countries, according to the statement.
Marking its 25th anniversary, or “Silver Jubilee”, the statement said that starting this year, each edition will focus on the promotion of the characteristic cultures of one of the participating Portuguese-speaking countries or regions.
With the current edition focusing on Macanese culture, the statement noted that there will be an emphasis on Macanese gastronomy and handicraft shows. The three-day event will also feature the 10 countries or regions of Portuguese-speaking communities in Macau such as Angola, Brazil and Portugal, and introduce their traditional music and arts and crafts, among others.
Customarily, the term “Macanese” refers to Macau’s community of mixed Portuguese and Asian extraction, as well as its diaspora. The community accounts for about 1.5 percent of Macau’s population.
There will also be performances by the Shenzhen An Zhishun Percussion Art Troupe and around 30 local Portuguese-speaking groups at the Taipa Houses’ Amphitheatre, as well as “light music” on the stage installed in Largo do Carmo, the statement said.
Moreover, there will be a range of traditional Portuguese games for all ages in Largo do Carmo on Saturday and Sunday afternoons such as the wooden ski run and tug of war. Table football tournaments, the statement added, will also be featured on the afternoon of both days.
During dinner, the statement noted that dishes from Macau and three Portuguese-speaking countries and regions will be served in Largo do Carmo. The temporary restaurant in the Taipa Municipal Garden will also serve Portuguese dishes for lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday, while an on-site temporary kiosk will serve typical Portuguese snacks and drinks, the statement said.
The bureau said that it will follow the Health Bureau’s (SSM) COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures accordingly throughout the event. For more information, one can contact 8399 6818 or 8399 6827 during office hours, visit www.icm.gov.mo/FCP, or the bureau’s Facebook and WeChat pages.
This undated file photo provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) yesterday shows a Portuguese folk dance performance at the Taipa Houses’ Amphitheatre during a previous edition of the Lusofonia Festival.
