The Opening Ceremony of the 7th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries was held on October 20, at 6.30pm, at the Ballroom of 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 Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau and the Macau Government Tourist Office.
Participants in the opening ceremony included the Macao SAR’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac; the Deputy Director-General of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Mr Kou Ming; the Director-General of the General Affairs Department of the Commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macao SAR, Mr Zhang Jian; the Ambassador of Angola to China, Mr João Garcia Bires; the Counsellor in the Cape Verde’s Embassy in Beijing, Mr Francisco Andrade Barbosa Mendes; the Ambassador of Guinea-Bissau to China, Mr Malam Sambu; the Consul General of Mozambique to Macao and Hong Kong, Mr Rafael Custódio Marques; the representative of the Consul General of Portugal to Macao and Hong Kong, Ms Patrícia Ribeiro; the Counsellor in the East Timor’s Embassy in Beijing, Mr Maubere Lorosae da Silva Horta; the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Mr Chang Hexi; the Deputy Secretary-General (appointed by Portuguese-speaking Countries) of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Mr Vicente de Jesus Manuel; the Deputy Secretary-General (appointed by the Macao SAR Government) of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Echo Chan; the representative of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Mr António Machado; and the Head of the Organisational Planning and Development Department of the Macau Government Tourist Office, Mr Hoi Io Meng.
During the ceremony, the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Mr Chang Hexi, delivered a speech of welcome. There were also performances from artists from the participating 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 from the city of Shantou, in China’s Guangdong Province.
The Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries is now in its seventh edition. It is a major multicultural festival and a proof of Macao’s role in linking cultures.
The 7th edition takes place under the theme “Cultural City, Happy Meeting Point” A range of themed activities are scheduled, spanning the period from October 16 and 25. There were also exhibitions from plastic artists – i.e., those using moulding or modelling for their work, such as sculpture or ceramics. Those were scheduled to take place from October 22 to November 8.
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.
This year the programme content of the Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries has been enhanced, and there are 37 activities in all.
A total of 135 arts practitioners are taking part in this year’s event, representing Portuguese-speaking countries and regions, mainland China and Macao. They include 95 music and dance artists, five practitioners of the plastic arts, five chefs, 12 handicraft artists, and 18 members of theatre troupes.
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.
7th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries
Co-organisers
Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau
Macau Government Tourist Office
Collaborators
IPOR – Portuguese Institute of the Orient
Angola-Macau Association
Association Macau ‘Casa do Brasil’
Macau-Cape Verde Friendship Association
Association of the Guineans, Natural and Friends of the Guinea-Bissau
Mozambique Friends’ Association
Macau ‘Casa de Portugal’
Association of São Toméan and Friends of São Tomé and Príncipe-Macau
Association of Cultural Entertainment of Goa, Damão and Diu
