Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi on Saturday inaugurated the International Lusophone Festival with Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant.

Taking to her official Twitter handle, Lekhi shared glimpses of the International Lusophone Festival which started on December 3 in Goa.

Meenakashi Lekhi tweeted, “Glad to inaugurate the International Lusophone Festival today with Hon CM of Goa @DrPramodPSawant Ji. Look forward to cultural performances, roundtable discussions, workshops on food & music celebrating India’s ties with the Portuguese speaking @_CPLP countries. @iccr_hq @goacm.” Notably, the International Lusophone Festival will take place in Goa from December 03-06. Notably, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth is a multilateral forum, founded on 17 July 1996. Its founding members were Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and Sao Tome and Principe, while Timor Leste and Equatorial Guinea joined later. India joined the Community of Portuguese Language Countries as an associate observer in July 2021.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in partnership with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Government of Goa is organizing the International Lusophone Festival in Goa.

The International Lusophone Festival will include performances by visiting cultural troupes from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLCP) countries (approximately 70 artists) at various venues in Goa, including ESG complex, Azad Maidan, Sanskruti Bhavan and Institute Menezes Braganza.

The festival will include workshops on Lusophone music for artists and volunteers, various workshops cum exhibition of photocopies of historical records, unique Goan architecture, Goan handicrafts and Goan furniture.

Apart from this, the Lusophone Food and Spirits Festival will showcase the culinary links between India and the Lusophone world, according to the press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

“Goa has had historical linkages with the Lusophone world, which has been nurtured through the presence of Portuguese cultural institutions like the Orient Foundation and the Camoes Institute which promote Portuguese language and culture in India.

This has deepened our economic, cultural co-operation and people-to-people ties with the CPLP member countries,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in the press release.

The Festival will include round table discussions with theme on “India’s Outreach to the Global South – Exploring Convergence with CPLP” and “India-Lusophone Historical and Cultural Linkages: Retrospect and Prospects.” It will explore India’s existing and historical Lusophone connection and deliberate on the way forward for future engagement.