The 500th anniversary of the birth of Luís de Camões will be marked by the Lisbon City Council, starting this Sunday, World Portuguese Language Day, and June 10th, Portugal, Camões and Portuguese Communities Day, with a program that includes exhibitions , music, photography competitions, themed routes, workshops and the unveiling of an evocative plaque on the poet’s statue.
In the same month that Lisbon is the guest city of the International Book Fair in Buenos Aires and that Parque Eduardo VII once again hosts another edition of the Book Fair, the strategy for Culture in the municipality reinforces its positioning in the area of literature and the book, with a program commemorating the birth of Luís de Camões that has 12 initiatives that seek to highlight the poet’s connection to the geography, history, memory and identity of the city.
Regarding the celebrations, the councilor for Culture, Diogo Moura, says that “Camões, more than honoring, glorified History and the Portuguese language. And since History and language are essential, long-lasting traits of our identity and memory, and we cannot do without preserving and celebrating them, we could not let this date go unnoticed. Allowing me the freedom to paraphrase, it is such a blessing that we honor Camões, that it is possible to say that the more we pay him, the more we owe him.”
At the start of the celebrations, the Town Hall will give way to poetry and music with the concert, on May 10th, for voice, piano, violin and percussion “Do Amor e da Glória em Camões”, which features actress Natália Luiza and musicians Rui de Luna and Marcos Lázaro. The municipal headquarters also hosts an exhibition where several editions of “Os Lusíadas” will be displayed, with emphasis on a copy of the 1898 work.
In the performing arts, the Marvila Library opens for