Brazil is the giant of the Latin American region that does not speak Spanish. However, it is linked to Mexico by history, music, sports and the Portuguese language, which is very similar to Spanish.
Mexico and Brazil have 200 years of diplomatic relationship, the same that the Portuguese-speaking nation will fulfill in 2022 when it commemorates its independence from Portugal, says Inbal Miller Gurfinkel, director of the Brazil-Mexico Cultural Center, of the Brazilian Embassy in our country.
However, the language continues to seem like a barrier –Miller points out–, despite their similarities and although great Portuguese and Brazilian writers such as José Saramago, Eric Nepomuceno, António Lobo Antunes, Nélida Piñón and Rubem Fonseca have transmitted their literature to Mexico; the last three, winners of the FIL Prize for Literature in Romance Languages.
However, it took 18 years for Portuguese to be spoken at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the most important meeting of the Latin American literature, in 2001 with Brazil as Guest Country of Honor and in 2018, with the presence of Portugal.
Therefore, this coming weekend, the Portuguese Language Festival, December 10 and 11, will be a luxurious opportunity to get closer to the Portuguese language of Brazil and Portugal, and learn much more about its literature, music, cinema and gastronomy.
“We want to show the importance of the Portuguese language and culture and strengthen ties from the cultural center with Mexicans and with the Brazilian and Portuguese-speaking community that lives in Mexico, which is estimated at around 10,000 people, mainly residents of Mexico City, Guadalajara. and Merida, shares Inbal Miller.
The main objective of the Festival of the Portuguese Language is to present a broad panorama of the language of Pessoa and Saramago in its different cultural variants, through the sale and exchange of books, dialogue tables with authors and translators and children’s workshops.
As is known, a caipirinha cocktail cannot be missed at a Brazilian party, as well as samba, but this time the cocktail will also include poetry, fado, cinematography, capoeira, a vinyl exhibition of Brazilian music and typical dishes of its delicious gastronomy. .
Writers Itamar Vieira and João Tordo will participate in the literary program, who will hold remote conversations via Zoom.
The Portuguese translators Eduardo Langagne, María Auxilio Salado and Paola Jiménez will also take part, who will discuss the challenges of translation and interpretation in times of pandemic.
The musical proposals will be in charge of Fogo Ensemble (Portuguese music), Grupo Ndjira (Mozambican performance) and a selection from the vinyl collection of the Brazil-Mexico Cultural Center curated by Adrián Barreto.
Brazilian and Portuguese short films and documentaries will also be screened, including: Posthumous Memories, by André Klotzel (2001), an adaptation of the classic work of literature Posthumous Memories by Blas Cubas (1881) written by Machado de Assis, and José e Pilar , by Miguel Gonçalves Mendes (2010), which tells the story of the relationship between the 1998 Nobel Prize winner in literature, José Saramago, and his wife, the Spanish journalist Pilar del Río. It portrays his daily life in Lanzarote and Lisbon, at home and on his travels around the world, during the last years of the life of the Portuguese writer, who died in 2010.
Brazilian cuisine, with deep Portuguese and African influences, will make attendees salivate with its traditional cuts, cheese bread and the famous coxinhas, among other dishes.
The programming dedicated to children will be held on Friday the 10th from 3 in the afternoon, it includes the participation of Grupo Ndjira, which will offer workshops on creating masks and storytelling, as well as a performance from Mozambique.
For its part, the National Electoral Institute, of Mexico, will add an interactive play activity and a collection of books for girls and boys, at 4 pm on Friday.
Publishers such as Textofilia, Alias, Elefanta, Fauna, Almadia and the independent Brazilian publisher Ikrek participate in the Portuguese Language Festival, promoted by the Brazil-Mexico Cultural Center of the Brazilian Embassy in partnership with the Portuguese embassy. efforts to disseminate Portuguese-language literature translated into Spanish, Inbal Miller concluded.
When and where?
- December 10 from 3:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- December 11 from 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- At the headquarters of the Cultural Center, Arquímedes 98, Polanco IV Section (Metro Polanco).
- Admission is free and the use of face masks is compulsory.
Check the schedule in this link:
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx