MED Festival preview with weekend dedicated to Cape Verde

The first initiatives integrated into the MED Festival will take place between the 20th and 22nd of June, in a programme dedicated to Cape Verde.

Although the 21st edition of the event officially kicks off on the 26th (with an opening concert by Ceuzany the day before, on the 25th), the next weekend shows a little of what will happen in the Historic Area of ​​Loulé, with proposals not focused on music, but rather on the visual arts, literature/conferences and cinema.

All initiatives are dedicated to Cape Verde, this year the MED’s “Guest Country ”.

«Transatlantic Cartographies» is the exhibition that can be visited during the Festival, at the Art Gallery of the Convento do Espírito Santo, and which is scheduled to open on Friday, June 20, at 5:30 pm.

This exhibition brings together the work of four artists whose connection to Cape Verde is both intimate and displaced. Despite living outside the archipelago, they build an ongoing dialogue with it — sometimes silent, but always present.

His works reveal how the country extends beyond its physical borders, expanding into the voices and practices of those who, from outside, continue to inhabit it emotionally.

With the series “Fake Self-Portraits”, Fidel Évora proposes a game between identity and fiction, presence and construction. Jacira da Conceição invokes, through ceramics, iron, fabric and video, the strength of the African female lineage. Amadeu Carvalho presents “50 Faces Unknown – Portraits of Absence”, a series of unnamed portraits that mark the fiftieth anniversary of Cape Verde’s independence. And Carlos Noronha Feio closes this tour with a sound and visual installation where Cape Verde and the Atlantic listen to each other.

The curators will be Ricardo Barbosa Vicente and João Serrão. The exhibition will run until July 19th.

On Saturday, the 21st, there will be a talk on Cape Verdean Literature at the Casa da Cultura de Loulé – Edifício Atlético. Starting at 5:30 pm, writers José Luiz Tavares and Dina Salústio will be the speakers at the conference included in the Festival program. Two prominent names in Cape Verdean culture will provide an insight into the world of literature in this country.

Born on the island of Santiago, José Luiz Tavares has contributed to newspapers and magazines in Cape Verde, Portugal and Brazil. Among the many awards he has received, the most notable is the 2004 Mário António Poetry Prize, awarded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to the best work by a Portuguese-speaking African author and author from East Timor published between 2001 and 2003, for his first published book, «Paraíso Apagado por um Trovão».

The poet and writer Dina Salústio is from the island of Santo Antão. A founding member of the Cape Verdean Writers Association, the Cape Verdean Society of Authors, a founding member of the Cape Verdean Academy of Letters and the PEN Club of Cape Verde, she was awarded, among others, the RDP Africa Literature Prize for the Lusophone world (2021).

The seventh art closes the cultural weekend with the screening of the film «Sodade», directed by Cape Verdean Sarah Grace, presented on Sunday, 22nd, at 6 pm, at Solar da Música Nova.

The internationally acclaimed film explores profound themes such as love, betrayal and hate, through the story of characters who experience the challenges and dilemmas of the diaspora.

Filmed in the volcanic landscapes of Fogo Island, “Sodade” stands out for its stunning cinematography and for capturing the essence of Cape Verdean culture and spirit. It is the first Cape Verdean film to be commercially distributed in cinemas in Portugal and other international territories.

All initiatives during the weekend dedicated to Cape Verde are free of charge.

"This programme reflects the cultural richness of a sister country, with which the municipality of Loulé has strong ties of friendship. This weekend will be an unmissable opportunity for the public to get to know this country better", notes Vítor Aleixo, Mayor of Loulé .

Carlos Carmo, director of the MED Festival, says: “We are going to get this 21st edition of the MED Festival off to a great start. And because this is a multidisciplinary event, despite its emphasis on world music , it is also important to highlight other artistic expressions. That is precisely what we will do over these three days, to showcase this cultural scope, which will continue throughout the Festival. We invite everyone to join us in celebrating Cape Verde.”