The 17th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (PSCs) was officially inaugurated last night at the Legend Boulevard in Fisherman’s Wharf, aiming to promote cultural exchange activities between the nation and the world’s nine PSCs.
Organised by the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, the opening ceremony was attended by around 110 guests, including Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai Kin Ip, Secretary-General of Forum Macao Ji Xianzheng, and Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes.
In his speech, Ji underlined that Forum Macao’s Action Plan for Economic and Trade Cooperation, which was approved at the 6th Ministerial Conference last year, recognised the importance of the Cultural Week, especially aiming to strengthen exchanges in the 11-city Greater Bay Area (GBA). He noted that since 2008, 16 editions have successfully been held, and for the first time this year, the event will extend beyond Macau, to Zhongshan and Beijing.
The event brings together artists and artisans from Beijing, Qinghai Province, Zhuhai, Macau, and nine PSCs – Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste (East Timor).
According to a statement provided by the forum, the festival activities in Macau will run until Thursday, featuring a collective audiovisual exhibition, handicraft displays, and culinary experiences.
A food festival at Fisherman’s Wharf involves five renowned chefs from Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Mozambique, who are collaborating with local chefs to create special menus showcasing flavours from five PSCs, the statement said. The food-fest will run through Thursday.
In addition, the statement added that a book from Angola, titled “Será Este Livro Um Romance?” (“Will This Book Be A Novel?”), by João Melo, which has been translated into Chinese, will be launched on October 24, and from October 25 to November 18, an exhibition of artworks from Portuguese-speaking countries will be held at the Macau Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) Gallery in Avenida de Almeida Ribero.
Residents and tourists alike are invited to take part in the celebrations and explore the richness of the China-PSCs cultures. More information can be found on https://semanacultural.forumchinaplp.org.mo.
This photo shows representatives of Portuguese-speaking countries and officials from the local and central governments posing for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 17th Cultural Week of China and PSCs at Macau Fisherman’s Wharf in Nape last night. – Photos: Khalel Vallo
Secretary-General of Forum Macau Ji Xianzheng delivers his opening remarks during the opening ceremony of the 17th Cultural Week of China and PSCs at Fisherman’s Wharf in Nape last night.
