Fernando Daniel
Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and Galaxy Entertainment Group, and Co-organized by the Macao Government Tourist Office and the Municipal Affairs Bureau, the 2024 GEG Lusofonia Festival takes place from 25 to 27 October, and from 1 to 3 November at the Taipa Houses. For the first time, this year, the Lusofonia Festival was extended for two weekends to give residents and tourists a deeper knowledge of the traditions, customs and unique culture of Portuguese-speaking Countries and Regions.
In this year’s edition of the Lusofonia Festival, the emphasis will be placed on promoting the culture of Goa, Daman and Diu. For that reason, Chef Vasco Alvares was invited to present typical dishes from these territories at dinner time. Grilled pork ribs, Goan-style octopus stew, grilled cafreal chicken, stuffed prawns, grilled pork kebabs and chicken xacuti are the dishes that will be presented during the event, at Largo do Carmo. The renowned Temporary Tattoo Artist from Goa, Harichandra Anand Pokle, was also invited, and will present his art to the interested public. The Artist will be at the Cultural Exhibitor of Goa, Damão and Diu, on Avenida da Praia das Casas da Taipa.
A cultural exhibition from the 10 Portuguese-speaking communities residing in Macau, namely Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Goa, Daman and Diu, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, and the Macanese community, showcase, through its exhibitors, music, dance, arts, crafts, traditional costumes, literature, tourist information, and the typical snacks and drinks of their countries or regions.
In the 27th edition of the Lusofonia Festival, music and dance artists from 10 Portuguese-speaking Countries and Regions were invited, namely the Portuguese singer Fernando Daniel, the Angolan singer Yuri da Cunha, the Mozambican singer Selma Uamusse, the Brazilian singer Filipe Toca , the Cape Verdean musical group Ferro Gaita, the Guinean singer Nené Pereira, the music and dance group from Goa, Damão and Diu, Daman Darshan, the Timorese dance group Le-Ziaval, the Equatorial Guinea dance group GE Dancers and the 100% Santola Cultural Group from São Tomé and Príncipe. These 10 invited artists, together with around 35 local Portuguese-speaking artists, will present different genres of music and dance throughout the 6 days of the Festival, at the Taipa Houses Amphitheater. On the secondary stage installed in Largo do Carmo there will be light music shows performed by local Portuguese-speaking artists.
A temporary restaurant will operate in the Taipa Municipal Garden, serving grilled food and typical Portuguese specialties, and, in the evening in Largo do Carmo, different specialties from participating countries and regions will be served. There will be also a kiosk serving typical Portuguese snacks and drinks near the entrance to Taipa Houses.
On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, visitors of all ages can participate in the Portuguese Traditional Games, namely the ski race, sack race, wooden spoon race, climbing the tallow stick, tug of war, throwing the ball, rings on the crosspiece, and rolling cars, amongst others, as well as Table Football Tournaments and various games for children. Games are open to the public and feature prizes typical of these games, namely cod fillets, Portuguese wine, canned Portuguese sardines and Portuguese chorizo, for adults. There are also prizes for children such as marbles, spinning tops, skipping ropes, yoyo, etc. On both weekends, Table Football Tournaments will be held for adults over 16 years old, and for young people up to 15 years old. Registrations can be made in the information booth of the event. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, there will be various recreational games for children.
During the six days of the 2024 GEG Lusofonia Festival, the combination of singing, dancing, games, food and different customs will allow citizens and tourists to experience the culture of Lusophone countries and deepen their understanding of the cultural heritage of each Lusophone country or region. At the same time is held the 6th Meeting in Macau – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries, where citizens will be invited to experience and feel the lively atmosphere of the Festival. The Cultural Affairs Bureau hopes to deepen cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries through these activities and be a bridge for Macau to serve as “base for exchange and cooperation with Chinese culture in a multicultural coexistence”.
For more information, please visit the webpage of the “Encounter in Macao – Arts and Culture Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” at www.icm.gov.mo/FCP, the “IC Art” page on Facebook or WeChat official account “IC_Art_Macao”.
