SUNDAY 8TH MAY, 2016 – UWI TODAY
13
LusoFesta 2016
– the Portuguese Language Experience
– was the third in a series of annual exhibitions (formerly
known as Braspo Day), focusing on the Portuguese
language, official in nine countries and spoken on every
continent, and the cultures of three of these countries:
Brazil, Cape Verde and Portugal. Hosted by the Portuguese
and Brazilian Studies Section of the Department of Modern
Languages and Linguistics, the week (April 11-15, 2016)
showcased four nightly film screenings and ended in the
grand LusoFesta Day.
The first film screening was
Soca in She Samba
, focusing
on David Rudder, DLitt, visiting Bahia in Brazil. Director
Christopher Laird, DLitt, and CollineMcTair, translator and
interpreter were present and led an exciting, dynamic and
interactive post-screening session, looking at the cultural
and other links between Trinidad & Tobago and Brazil, and
the importance and relevance of the Portuguese language.
Other films came from Portugal, Brazil and Cape Verde, as
those were the main countries in focus. Thursday featured
Capoeira in the Quad with Chuma Isi (student) of the
Acanne Trinidad & Tobago Capoeira group and an Acanne
member, and the Cordão de Ouro Capoeira group, present
on LusoFesta Day.
LusoFesta Day was the grand event, where every
visitor got to experience the three Lusophone (Portuguese-
speaking) countries in tangible ways.
The programme started with all four national anthems
and the attentive audience heard about the strategic
importance of Portuguese and Lusophone studies to the
region, and the UWI agreements with King’s College
London’s and the KCL Brazil Institute, the University of
INFORMATION
Porto and MUNDUS-ACP and CARPIMS projects, and
the Grupo Coimbra of Brazil. Fernandes Fine Wines and
Spirits kindly sponsored gifts of Portuguese wine and port
for the invited speakers.
After the speeches, visitors were invited to the CLL
Atrium where classrooms had been transformed into Little
Lusofonia, with poster displays, flags, a book exhibit, free
Brazilian coffee, and information booths from the Brazilian
Embassy and the International Office. Classroom 1 became
the Cape Verde Room and Language Café (Portuguese and
Cape Verdean Creole); Classroom 2 was converted into
A Taste of Lusofonia
Language students share Portuguese culture
the Bahia Room and the Dance Salon (kizomba, samba
and capoeira), and Classroom 3 was the Porto Room and
Restaurante Paladar, serving Port wine samples, Brazilian
salgadinhos (savoury finger foods by Valéria Regis), meals
fromBrazil, Cape Verde and Portugal (byMaxine Franklin),
and Brazilian brigadeiros by Sweets of Brazil (Ila Martins-
Padmore).
Students from the DMLL and the CLL were divided
into three teams, led by their teachers - Team Cape Verde
(led by Ila Martins-Padmore), Team Bahia (led by Heather
MacIntosh-Simon, coordinating her DMLL and CLL
students), and Team Porto (led by Sean Samad), each team
identified by their polo and t-shirts, Portuguese (including
a peeira, a Portuguese wolf fairy), Cape Verdean wraps and
Bahian and candomblé wear. Each team worked on poster
projects and much more. Team Cape Verde presented a
kizomba dance on stage in the Auditorium, and invited
members of the audience to dance with them.They also gave
lessons to the visitors in the Bahia salon, as well as language
lessons in the Language Café led byMaria Teresa Costaguta.
TeamBahia TeamPorto assisted in the Restaurante Saudade,
and TeamBahia coordinated the dance and capoeira lessons.
The five members of the teaching team passionately
pooled energy, time, resources and teamwork to produce
this event, students working tirelessly to research Portuguese
and Kaboverdianu Creole languages, history, culture,
customs, traditions, cuisine, music, geography, literature,
people including famous nationals and descendants, and
dance, to offer every visitor a Taste of Lusofonia at LusoFesta
2016. LusoFesta 2017 promises to be even more exciting;
look out for it!
Thursday featured Capoeira in the Quad with Chuma Isi (student)
of the Acanne Trinidad & Tobago Capoeira group and an Acanne
member, and the Cordão de Ouro Capoeira group, present on
LusoFesta Day.
PHOTOS: ANEEL KARIM.
Team Cape Verde presented a kizomba dance in the Auditorium and
gave lessons to the visitors in the Bahia salon, as well as language
lessons in the Language Café led by Maria Teresa Costaguta.
