The Mozambican Selma Uamusse and the German with a “rib” from the Shantel Balkans were the two names on the MED poster yet to be revealed, but their announcement was far from being the only news that was made known at the official presentation event of the program of the world music festival of Loulé, which took place yesterday, Friday, at the Cine-Teatro Louletano.
The MED Festival itself will run from June 30th to July 2nd in the historic center of Loulé, but the party around the event will start on June 26th and will last until July 3rd, with some parallel initiatives, some of which are innovative. In all, the public will be able to count on 55 concerts, performed by more than 250 musicians from 18 different nationalities.
In March, at the Lisbon Tourism Exchange, the mayor of Loulé Vítor Aleixo had already assured that there would be innovations. «Staying true to the concept and philosophy, the event will have new notes, because we would like to make a upgrade in what he has been until now. We want to innovate, without straying from what has been the philosophy of the festival», launched the mayor.
Still, few would have anticipated how vast the upgrade. In 2016, there is another stage, more or less substantial changes in the concept of some of the secondary stages and there will be space for other cultural expressions, in addition to music, such as poetry and cinema around the world.
The best thing is to start with what doesn't change. The three main stages – Cerca, Castelo and Matriz – will remain in the same mold, even taking into account the success of previous editions, which earned the MED nomination for several awards.
Yesterday, the alignment of the different days was known, which allows, from now on, to make plans. On the first day, June 30, they perform at the Cerca Stage «Dona Onete» (Brazil), Moh! Kouyaté (Guinea-Conakry) and Change Star (Congo). To the Castle stage they go up isaura, Ottawa Yo (Russia) and Raquel Bulha. The concerts at Palco Matriz, on the first day, will be from Antonio Zambujo e Shantel (Germany).
On July 1st, the Cerca stage opens with Aldina Duarte, following the performance of Hindi Zara (Morocco/France), and from Emicide (Brazil). At the same time, concerts by marafona, Fandango e Chico Correa (Brazil). To the stage Matrix goes up Anne Tijoux (Chile) and Danakil (France).
On the third day, July 2, MED will feature, on stage Cerca com Blick Bassy (Cameroon), Black Gallo Sound (Mexico) and Hello Wala (Denmark/Norway/USA). On stage Castelo, acts Selma Uamusse (Mozambique), which staged the concert for the presentation of the MED 2015 Poster, about a year ago, and capicua. Matriz closes with concerts from Tinariwen (Little), dubious Kolektiv (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and rocky marsiano.
The remaining concerts take place on the secondary stages, of which the Palco Fado and the MED Classic (Igreja Matriz) remain unchanged. In the first, there will be a tribute to a musical style recognized as a World Heritage Site, with performances by local artists. On this stage, there will also be, every night, poetry sessions from the different countries represented in this year's edition of the festival.
On the other secondary stages, there are innovations, as Carlos Carmo, assistant to Vítor Aleixo at Câmara de Loulé and coordinator of the festival said, in the presentation that took place yesterday, before the performance of Teté Alhinho.
The Bica stage remains, but is now programmed by the Casa da Cultura de Loulé. The Bar Bafo de Baco, which was responsible for the alignment at Bica in recent editions, gives place to the local cultural structure, but is still linked to the event.
The Arco stage, located behind the Igreja Matriz and next to the food court, will change its configuration, «to become more interactive with the people who are in the restaurants». Here, space will be given «a s e one man shows».
Nearby, in Jardim dos Amuados, an eighth stage (Jardim) will be created, thinking “of the music purists of the world”. Here, traditional music and dances from various countries will be shown and “an Arab atmosphere” will be created. "We will have bands from Sudan, Guinea Conakry, Iran and even Syria."
As MED is a festival that, much more than the music of the world, intends to promote the culture of different nations, the aspects of handicraft, gastronomy, exhibitions and, of course, street entertainment are maintained. In this field, "unlikely stages will appear, in unexpected places, where you can watch performances by Cante Alentejano, theater and much more".
Another novelty is the introduction of world cinema at the festival. The seventh art will serve as a kind of amuse bouche for MED 2016, as it happens on the 26th, 27th and 28th of June. This commitment to cinema is made in partnership with professors from the University of Algarve and includes the exhibition of films in unexpected places. "Don't expect to come here to the Cine-Teatro or watch commercial works," warned Carlos Carmo.
On the 3rd of July, the Open MED will take place again, an event with free entry “in which the Mediterranean Diet will be celebrated, with some surprises”. Highlight also for the programming «Off MED», which will be guaranteed by the bar Bafo de Baco and will provide a musical alternative for those who visit Loulé during the days of the festival.
Yesterday, whoever was at the Cine-Teatro Louletano can already begin to feel the spirit of MED, through mornas, coladeiras and other Cape Verdean rhythms, transmitted by Teté Alhinho. A concert that ended with special guests on stage, from the Cape Verdean community of Loulé and with the audience helping to sing the classic «soda», immortalized by Cesária Évora.
See the photos of the MED 2016 presentation concert:
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