The XI Festival of the Discoveries takes place between the 27th of April and the 1st of May, in Lagos, and promises entertainment, processions, conferences and commented visits.
This year, the theme of the festival is “Meeting of Cultures on the West African Coast”. Unlike previous editions, which were always linked to specific personalities in Portuguese history, this year's theme is "more comprehensive", according to the City Council, which "allows for more generic approaches to the mentality of the Portuguese in the XNUMXth century".
The festival addresses the issues of economy, slavery and confrontations in North Africa, which influenced the course of the country at the time of the Discoveries.
The event starts on Thursday, April 27th, with an Inaugural Conference, taking place at 15 pm in the Auditorium of the Paços do Concelho Building XXI Century, where lectures will be presented by speakers from different universities in the country.
On Friday, the 28th, there will be, among others, the Historical Procession, dedicated to the theme “The Passage of Cabo Bojador – The broadening of the mental horizon”. The procession will have the widespread participation of the school community and groups, associations and local institutions, as usual.
On Saturday, the 29th, the theme will be “Economy – Products arriving from Overseas”, while Sunday will have the motto “Europe and Slavery”. Finally, the 1st of May will be dedicated to the theme “The Wars of North Africa – Confrontations with Muslims and Other Gentiles”.
The highlight of the Festival is the Quinhentista Fair, which this year has several centers of entertainment, namely the Praça do Infante and Jardim da Constitution, the Caravela Boa Esperança, the Fort Ponta da Bandeira, the Museum Nucleus Rota da Escravatura – Slave Market, Rua Portas de Portugal and Praça Gil Eanes.
Various initiatives are also planned in the areas of dance, music, workshops, historical recreations, war demonstrations and commented visits.
Also many commercial establishments, restaurants and beverages are associated with the recreation of a medieval atmosphere, customizing, during the fair period, their offer of products and services made available to the customer.
The Municipality of Lagos, which organizes the Festival of Discoveries, also announces that «the detailed program will be released soon».
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