Goa: The International Lusophone Festival is scheduled to take place in Goa, in December, after the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in partnership with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Government of Goa are the organizers of the International Lusophone Festival in Goa.
The festival will take place from 3 to 6 December 2022 and will be inaugurated on December 3, 2022, by Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa at Durbar Hall, Raj Bhavan.
Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Culture would be the Guest of Honour.
Goa has had historical linkages with the Lusophone world, which has been nurtured through the presence of Portuguese cultural institutions like the Orient Foundation and the Camoes Institute which promote Portuguese language and culture in India.
This has strengthened the economic, cultural, and people-to-people links with Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) member countries.
The festival will include performances by visiting cultural troupes from the CPLP countries (70 artists) at several venues in Goa namely ESG complex, Azad Maidan, Sanskruti Bhavan, Ravindra Bhavan among others.
As part of the festival, workshops on Lusophone music for artists and volunteers, various workshops-cum-exhibition of photocopies of historical records, unique Goan architecture, Goan handicrafts and Goan furniture are being organised.
The Lusophone Food and Spirits Festival will also showcase the culinary links between India and the Lusophone world.
As part of India’s engagement with CPLP, the Ministry of External Affairs celebrated World Portuguese Language Day in Delhi on May 5, 2022, soon after joining CPLP.
(With Agency Inputs)