The 23rd Lusofonia Festival organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) and co-organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) is being held at the Taipa Houses from today to Sunday.
The event aims to introduce the Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) culture to the public.
Lusitania was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal and part of western Spain lie. It was named after the Lusitani, an Indo-European people.
The festival offers a diversified programme of activities, including music and dance performances, booths, gastronomy and games, allowing residents to experience the customs and cuisine from various Portuguese-speaking countries, according to an IC statement on Wednesday.
The first edition of the Lusofonia Festival was held on June 1998. Over the years the festival has become a cultural event of Macao’s Portuguese-speaking communities, showcasing Macao’s role as a platform of cultural exchange between China and the world’s eight Portuguese-speaking countries, according to the statement.
This time the programme is supported by Coca-Cola Beverage Co. Limited. There are booths set up by the local Portuguese-speaking communities from 10 countries or regions: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Goa, Daman and Diu, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Macao and Timor-Leste, aiming to introduce their countries or regions’ traditional music, photographs, arts and crafts, costumes, literature and gastronomy, according to the statement.
The three-day festival combines singing and dancing, games, food, and multi-national customs.
The festival is being held at Taipa Houses in Avenida da Praia in Taipa today from 7 pm to 10 pm, tomorrow from noon to 11 pm, and on Sunday from midday to 10 pm.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)
PHOTO © Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC)
