MACAU DAILY TIMES: The whole Lusofonia at Carmo Zone

The whole Lusofonia at Carmo Zone
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Alexandra Lages on 23/10/2009 01:18:00
 
This is not just a festival. It is a kind of voyage across the Portuguese
speaking-world, also known as ‘Lusofonia’. Starting today and until Sunday,
it will be possible to eat, drink, listen to music and dance in Brazil, Angola,
Portugal, Goa, Daman and Diu, Timor and so on, all in one place, located in the
Taipa Village.
Co-organised every year by the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, and the
Macau Government Tourist Office, the Lusofonia Festival takes place near the
Taipa Houses-Museum, more precisely in the so-called Carmo Zone. Ten booths set
up by the Portuguese-speaking communities residing in Macau, including Angola,
Brazil, Cape Verde, Goa, Daman and Diu, Guinea-Bissau, Macau, Mozambique,
Portugal, São Tomé e Príncipe and East Timor will display their unique
handicrafts, traditional snacks and drinks. And yet this year, the local
communities won’t have many reasons to celebrate, as the event’s budget
plunged.
The party is on from noon until midnight. Traditional music concerts and games
will be held during all weekend. This year the highlights are the Portuguese pop
music band Quinta do Bill, performing tomorrow at 10 pm, and reggae band
‘Mercado Negro’. This band originally from Angola but now based in Portugal
performs on Sunday also at 10 pm.
The official opening is scheduled for tomorrow, at 5.30 pm, kicked off by the
performances of the traditional local Chinese group of dragon and lion dance
“Lo Leong”. Following up will be Macau’s Portuguese folklore dance and
music group, the Brazilian group of dance and martial arts of master Eddy
Murphy, closing with a performance by the “Mavanjú”, an African dance
group.
Besides Quinta do Bill and Mercado Negro, a lot more events with music and
dance is scheduled throughout the weekend.
Today, starting at 8 pm, a number of local bands will perform, including the
one from local Portuguese School (EP). The Maranatha group will stage some drama
and the Group of Goa, Daman and Diu will also play for audiences.
Tomorrow, the show will open at 7 pm with the D. José da Costa Nunes
Kindergarden students’ performance. The programme includes Portuguese folklore
and hip-hop dance, the percussion group “Beat-it” and even tap-dancing by
the“On Tat” group.
Finally, on Sunday, the stage will be invaded by Brazilian samba dancers
starting at 3 pm. You may also expect to see and listen to the Macau’s Elvis
and the Macanese traditional music band Tuna Macaense.
Less budget, less party
During the three-day partying, plenty of tasty choices to find in the food and
beverage area. The so-called “Lusophone Cuisine” will be open from 12 am
until 3.30 pm (lunch), and from 6.30 pm to 10 pm (dinner), from tomorrow to
Sunday.
There visitors can taste the Portuguese-speaking countries cuisine, including
traditional fares like the ‘Cachupa’ from CapeVerde, the famous Brazilian
‘feijoada’ (beans stew), the ‘calulu’ from S. Tomé e Príncipe, the
fiery ‘moamba’ from Angola,  and traditional Portuguese food that include
charcoal grilled meats and sardines.
Going down the street, ten different booths will also provide popular drinks
and snacks from noon until midnight starting tomorrow until Sunday. But if
you’re an early bird, you may enjoy it tonight, from 7 pm until midnight. The
Portuguese ‘sangria’ and the Brazilian ‘caipirinha’ are still the
favourite drinks for Lusofonia festival’s visitors.
The Festival makes room for sports activities also. There will be a Grand Prix
simulator awaits there, and a Soccer tournament is planned, though only invited
teams are allowed to participate.
The final match is scheduled for Sunday, between 3 pm and 8 pm, at the Carmo
sports facilities.
This year, the Lusofonia Festival organisation was plagued by some controversy
linked to the budget, which was reduced from last year’s MOP 6 million to less
than MOP 135,000 this year. In other words, each local community of the
Portuguese-speaking country got a budget of MOP 15,000 to set up the booth.
In 2008, the Forum Macau, an organisation that sets the bridge between China
and the Portuguese-speaking countries in the business sector, joined the
organisation. The result was a big boost of the budget as well as the
programming.
For the first time in the Lusofonia Festival’s history, last year the
festival lasted one week, instead of the usual long weekend, and each community
invited a music or dance band to perform.
However, this year, without any explanation, Forum Macau stepped back, said the
organisers sources.