The 7th “Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries”, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), concluded on Sunday, showcasing the city’s role as a platform for cultural exchange between East and West through a diverse programme of performances, exhibitions and community activities held from October through this month.
Held concurrently with the Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) Lusofonia Festival*, this year’s edition featured more than 80 programmes and outreach activities across seven series, involving over 780 artists and performers from Macau and abroad, the statement said.
Activities took place at UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites, community spaces and professional theatres, attracting more than 61,000 participants.
The 2025 GEG Lusofonia Festival, co-organised by the bureau and GEG, returned to the Taipa Houses for two consecutive weekends, with a focus on Angolan culture. Performances and booths by groups from 10 Portuguese-speaking countries and regions, alongside 40 local PSCs’ arts troupes, highlighted music, dance, cuisine and traditional games.
The statement added that community outreach continued through the “GEG Traditional Music and Dance Performance in the Community”, featuring 14 performances across local districts and at Galaxy Macau in Cotai.
Participating groups included art troupes from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique Timor-Leste, (East Timor) and India’s Goa, Daman and Diu, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Chinese and Portuguese Picture Book Fair, themed “The Fairy Tale World”, ran for 10 days at Carmo Hall in Taipa, showcasing more than 800 titles and hosting workshops, performances and family activities, the statement noted.
Meanwhile, the “7th China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Film Festival” presented nearly 30 films across multiple venues, accompanied by screenings, seminars and workshops, the statement added.
Other highlights included the Vanessa da Mata Concert with the Macao Chinese Orchestra and the “Spiritual Narrative – 2025 Annual Arts Exhibition between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries”, which continues at the Taipa Houses until March 1 next year.
Vanessa da Mata is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazilian singer, songwriter, and novelist.
* Lusofonia refers to the cultural and linguistic community of Portuguese-speaking countries and regions around the world. The term encompasses countries where Portuguese is the official language, as well as communities where Portuguese is spoken. Luso is an adjective that refers to anything related to Portugal or the Portuguese language. It is derived from the Latin term “Lusitania,” which was the name of a province in ancient Rome that roughly corresponds to modern-day Portugal. – Poe
This undated handout photo provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) yesterday shows the 2025 Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) Lusofonia Festival held outside the Taipa Houses cultural heritage complex in late October.
