PRESENTATION WITH “LA NO XEPANGARA”

Next Sunday, May 12th, at 5pm, at Cineteatro Louletano, the 20th edition of the MED Festival will take place.

At this time, all the artists that are part of this year's lineup will be announced, as well as the news and programming regarding the “Guest Country”, the Kingdom of Morocco, announced, not only in musical terms, but also in other cultural aspects. This chapter of “Guest Country” begins in 2024 and will be one of the highlights in this edition in which MED celebrates two decades of existence.

This presentation will also feature the Lá no Xepangara project, the Portuguese-speaking tribute to José Afonso.

The collective led by Manuel de Oliveira, which brings together artists such as Isabel Novella (Mozambique), Selma Uamusse (Mozambique), Fred Martins (Brazil), Karyna Gomes (Guiné Bissau) and Edu Mundo (Portugal), debuted in January at Casa das Artes of Famalicão, as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of April 25, 74.

The show Lá no Xepangara, which also includes two educational activities, will circulate the country to the sound of the music and words of José Afonso. The project aims to reflect on the strong presence of African culture in the life and work of José Afonso and his role in the struggle for decolonization, democratization and the development of Portuguese-speaking society and culture.

Based on the work of José Afonso, as a paradigmatic example of the determining role of art and culture in the Portuguese revolution, the project's main objective is to bring the Portuguese-speaking community and young people closer to an unavoidable personality in the fight for Democracy, thus elevating contemporary times. and, above all, the universal character of José Afonso's work. The collective also has Pedro Oliveira on percussion, João Frade on accordion, Albano Fonseca on bass and with the consultancy of Viriato Teles.

There at Xepangara there is a concert with the “MED Flavor” label. Tickets have a single price of 5 euros.

Remember that the 20th anniversary of the MED Festival will have the Kingdom of Morocco as a guest country. Among the names already confirmed are Anthony B (Jamaica), Antti Paalanen (Finland), Bixiga 70 (Brazil), Dubioza Kolektiv (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mazgani (Portugal/Iran), Oum (Morocco), Tito Paris (Cape Verde) or the Portuguese Teresinha Landeiro.