The Opening Ceremony of the 8th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries was held on October 24, at 7.30pm, at the Tromba Rija restaurant in the Macau Tower.

The event is organised by the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), also known as Forum Macao, and is supported by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau and the Macao Government Tourism Office.

Participants in the opening ceremony included: the Macao SAR’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac; the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Xu Yingzhen; the Deputy Director-General of the Cultural and Education Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Mr Zhao Chuandong; the Ambassador of Cape Verde to China, Ms Tânia Romualdo; the Consul General of Angola to Macao, Ms Sofia Pegado da Silva; the representative of the Ambassador of Guinea-Bissau to China, Ms Florzinha da Costa Monteiro; the representative of the Ambassador of Mozambique to China, Ms Clara Sengo; the representative of the Ambassador of East Timor to China, Mr Danilo Afonso Henriques; the President of the Portuguese Oriental Institute, Mr João Laurentino Neves, representing the Consul General of Portugal to Macao.

During the ceremony, the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Xu Yingzhen, delivered a speech of welcome. Several artists and groups from China and Portuguese-speaking Countries attended the opening ceremony.

The Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries – an annual event – was devised in 2008 and it has been hosted in Macao for seven consecutive years, highlighting Macao’s role as a platform for cultural exchanges.

Under the theme “One Belt, One Cultural Road”, the 8th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries will be held from October 24 to November 13.

The Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries is supported by five main strands, namely: the Portuguese-speaking Countries’ food festival “World of Flavours”; the Handicraft and Art Fair; the Portuguese-speaking Countries’ theatre festival; Music and Dance Shows by groups from China and Portuguese-speaking Countries; and the Exhibition by Plastic Artists.

The event brings together a total of 142 invited guests, comprising: 107 music and dance performers, 3 artists, 5 chefs, 13 artisans and 14 theatre actors. They represent nine Portuguese-speaking Countries and regions (Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, East Timor, São Tomé and Príncipe, the Indian state of Goa, and the Indian Union Territories of Damão and Diu), as well as the city of Kunming, in Yunnan Province; and Macao.

The Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries aims to show to Macao residents and tourists the city’s cultural diversity. The activities included in this event contribute to enhancing Macao’s role as a cultural, economic and trade platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. They also help improve mutual understanding and foster closer ties of friendship as well as furthering Macao’s cultural diversity.