JP Simões, Manuel João Vieira, Virgin Suta, Tulipa Ruiz, B Facade, Bunnyranch. All these artists, or bands, have something in common: they have already given concerts at the Casa do Povo of Santo Estêvão, in the municipality of Tavira. This Saturday, another name joins this list: Dani Black, one of the emerging voices of Brazilian music.
For those who do not know the village, this can be trivial information. But if we tell you that Santo Estêvão has around 20 inhabitants in its urban core, the case changes.
Dani Black, for example, is in Portugal for a tour of six concerts. He will play at Casa da Música, in Porto, or at Teatro S. Luiz, in Lisbon, and come to the Algarve to play at a café-concert with a capacity for around 200 people, in a village without enough inhabitants to fill the room. However, it must be full.
A walk through the village during the day does not allow you to imagine the life that those streets gain with the presence of 200 people. «Santo Estêvão has three cafes, a church, two supermarkets and 15 or 20 people live here, in the urban core», explains José Barradas, president of the Casa do Povo of Santo Estêvão and one of those responsible for the cultural programming of that space.
The inspiration that allowed the Casa do Povo of Santo Estêvão to become a cultural reference in the Eastern Algarve did not come from a place similar to this one, but from Barcelona.
«The Community of Catalunya equips spaces like this throughout the region and puts their management to the test, so that those who compete can promote the development of the community. After a year, the work is evaluated and the contract is renewed, or not. Here we imported the idea a little and tried to apply it in this territory», revealed José Barradas to Sul Informação.
Before the concerts, about 20 years ago, there was a musty house, which a group of people transformed and made it what it is now. «Casa do Povo is over 70 years old and, during various periods of history, people who have passed through here have always wanted to do more and better. About 20 years ago, we took a building full of mold, old, abandoned and closed and started to work with the meaning of giving it life. “The path is made by walking”, the poet already said, and now things are very different», recalls the president of the CPSE board.
If, in 2016, culture is one of the most evident facets of CPSE's activity, sport – still present – assumed a greater prominence for years. «When we started, we had MTB teams in the National Championship, we had futsal teams that were regional champions and were also in the national ones and we even had motocross. We held national motocross championships in an area near here [CPSE], which already has a subdivision and, we hope, will move towards construction. With this dynamic, we were gaining some credit and some audacity to try to get financing to restructure the space, and that's where investment in culture begins, because cultural development is only done with investment in infrastructure and in the public».
And… “in 2007, the work was born. The building was equipped with sound and lighting, with a space for reading, space for sports, internet space, offices for various centers... the result of this work, almost ten years later, and after a lot of carolice and a management that works in a manner very cohesive, through citizenship, we are very satisfied with the results. Very important names in the Portuguese music scene have already passed through here» (and not only), congratulates José Barradas.
Important names used to playing in big cities, on big stages, come to Santo Estêvão time and time again, as is the case of the repeating JP Simões, Virgin Suta, or Manuel João Vieira. Why? José Barradas answers: «for the years we have been doing what we do, we are already known and, when artists want to present a show in the Algarve, they contact us. They talk to other artists, who have already been here, and know that there is a space with these characteristics, with a technical team, which communicate well, and do things professionally».
These names that pass through the Casa do Povo of Santo Estêvão are not chosen at random by the management. “There are criteria, since in these villages there is already, for example, the filling of popular dances. We are looking for something that is differentiating, that helps the cultural development of the community and that has the capacity to attract urban audiences».
However, it is not only at the cultural level that the concerts at the Casa do Povo of Santo Estêvão help the community, as the economy also benefits, as José Barradas explains: «when there is a concert that attracts people from various places, they they come early, have dinner at the village restaurant, shop here and leave money in Santo Estêvão».
The villagers are grateful, but they don't always attend the concerts. “If it's, for example, for a meeting of charolas, fado or accordion players, the oldest community in the parish comes, even because there is a strong relationship with Casa do Povo – it is part of people's memory and has a very important role, it was here where there was the folklore group, the doctor… – however, with more contemporary projects they don't come as much, they don't know”.
Foreigners residing in the parish of Santo Estêvão “participate actively. Some of them are even our sponsors».
These sponsorships are very useful because the management of Casa do Povo is not simple. “There are difficult months, which cost a little bit, but the biggest remuneration is having a full house, with people satisfied and still feeling that we have contributed to the development of the community. Everything we do has a goal: to make Santo Estêvão known, so that one day, later, people return here», concludes José Barradas.
Returning or not, concerts at the Casa do Povo in Santo Estêvão often have a full house. Tonight, the success promises to be repeated.
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