The 6th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries 2014 will take place between October 21 and October 30. The event is organised by the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), also known as Forum Macao, with support from the Institute for Civic and Municipal Affairs and the Macao Government Tourist Office.
A number of activities will take place in various parts of the city, including the Carmo area in Taipa, Senado Square, the Ruins of St. Paul, D. Pedro V Theatre, the residence of the Consul-General of Portugal in the Macao SAR (the former Hotel Bela Vista), Macao Tower, Rui Cunha Foundation Gallery and the Gallery of Macao Military Club.
The scheduled activities include cultural performances and displays of the arts. The aim is to showcase Chinese and Lusophone culture to Macao residents and tourists to the city, thus strengthening the role of the territory as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
On October 24, the opening ceremonies of four activities will take place. They are for: “6th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and Flavours of the World – Gastronomy Event”; “Contemporary Art Exhibition by Eugénio Novikoff Sales”; “Craft Fair from Zhejiang Province (China) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries”; and “Drama Play by Theatre Troupes from Portuguese-speaking Countries”.
Guests attending the activities include: Ambassador of Mozambique in Beijing, Mr. António Inácio Júnior; Ambassador of Cape Verde in Beijing, Mr. Júlio Morais; Ambassador of Timor-Leste in Beijing, Ms. Vicky Tchong Fun Ha; Ambassador of Angola in Beijing, Mr. João Garcia Bires; Ambassador of Guinea-Bissau in Beijing, Mr. Malam Sambu; Ambassador of Portugal in Beijing, Mr. Jorge Torres Pereira; representative of the Ambassador of Brazil in Beijing, Mr. Augusto Castro; Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Mr. Chang Hexi; the Deputy Secretary-General appointed by the Portuguese-speaking Countries, Mr. Vicente de Jesus Manuel; the Deputy Secretary-General appointed by the Macao SAR Government, Ms. Rita Santos; and Representatives of Portuguese-speaking Countries at the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao.
The gastronomy event – titled “Flavours of the World” and showcasing the cuisine of Portuguese-speaking Countries and regions – will open on October 24, at 12:30pm, at the 360 Cafe Revolving Restaurant of the Macao Tower. The event will take place until October 30. The lunch buffet will be served between 11:30am and 3pm and the dinner buffet between 6:30pm and 10pm. Chefs from Angola (Kimpovela dos Santos Manuel), Brazil (Gerson Alves de Oliveira Santos), Timor-Leste (Álvaro Isla Exposto dos Santos), São Tomé and Principe (Maria Julieta do Espírito Fernandes Mota) and Macao (Antonieta Ferreira dos Santos) have been invited for the Cultural Week, with the support of five local associations. The chefs will prepare special dishes for lunch and dinner throughout the event.
The “Contemporary Art Exhibition by Eugénio Novikoff Sales”, presenting the work of the Macao artist, will be inaugurated on October 24, at 6:30pm, at the residence of the Consul-General of Portugal in the Macao SAR (the former Hotel Bela Vista). It will be open to the public daily from 11am to 5pm until November 15. Eugénio Novikoff Sales has never followed artistic trends, favouring a free and creative spirit and keeping loyal to its influences and aesthetic options. The Macanese artist, better-known outside the city than at home, is among the artists recognised by the national artistic record of the People’s Republic of China. He was also among a small group of artists that were invited to exhibit during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
The “Craft Fair from Zhejiang Province (China) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries” will open at 5pm on October 24, at the Carmo area in Taipa. It will take place daily between October 24 and October 30, from 3pm to 8pm. The fair, supported by the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, as well as 10 local associations from Portuguese-speaking Countries, has invited 12 renowned artisans from the Chinese province of Zhejiang and Portuguese-speaking countries and regions. From Zhejiang hail Tong Hei Chou, a master in the craft of flour figures, and Cheang Sin Wan, an expert in the traditional art of paper cutting. Invited artists from Portuguese-speaking Countries include: Visconde de Almeida Dias (Angola); Maria das Neves da Conceição dos Santos (Brasil); Augusto Espírito Santo da Costa Vaz (Cape Verde); Rosalina Lopes (Guinea-Bissau); Domingos Ernesto (Mozambique); Mário Reis (Portugal); Maria Euzélia S. Nunes da Cruz (Timor-Leste); Leopoldo Viegas (São Tomé and Príncipe); Maria Antónia Beatriz Zemira de Noronha (Goa, Damão and Diu); and Dina Maria Vieira de Figueiredo Duarte Marques dos Santos (Macau). They will do demonstrations on how to work on various types of crafts, including wood, cloth, straw, paper and flour. A number of works will be for sale during the fair.
“Drama Play by Theatre Troupes from Portuguese-speaking Countries”: the opening ceremony will take place on October 24 at 6pm at the Auditorium of the Macao Polytechnic Institute. The drama plays will take place from October 21 to October 26 at the Auditorium of the Macao Polytechnic Institute. There will be one play a day during weekdays, between 8pm and 9pm. On Saturday and Sunday, the first play takes place between 6pm and 7pm, with the second one-hour play scheduled for 8pm. Four theatre troupes have been invited to the drama event, which is co-ordinated by the Portuguese Institute of the Orient (IPOR). They are: Companhia Henrique Artes, from Angola; Em Cartaz, from Brazil; Sikinada, hailing from Cape Verde; and GTO from Guinea-Bissau. The theatre troupes will also conduct workshops at Portuguese and Luso-Chinese schools, and also at institutions of higher education. All of the invited theatre companies have a professional or semi-professional profile and have received favourable reviews not only in the countries of origin but also internationally.
