Macanese culture will be the focus of the 25th Lusofonia Festival which runs from today through Sunday at the Taipa Houses.
The three-day festival takes place concurrently with the Encounter in Macao – 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 Macao’s role as a platform for cultural exchanges between mainland China and Portuguese-speaking countries, according to the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC).
To mark the festival’s Silver Jubilee, the IC 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, there will be an emphasis on Macanese gastronomy and handicraft shows. The three-day event will also feature the Portuguese-speaking communities in Macao such as Angola, Brazil and Portugal, and introduce their traditional music and arts and crafts.
Customarily, the term “Macanese” refers to Macao’s community of mixed Portuguese and Asian extraction, as well as its diaspora. The community accounts for about 1.5 per cent of Macao’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.
There will also 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 will also be featured on the afternoon of both days.
At dinner, dishes from Macao 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 Macau Post Daily reported.
