The 4th edition of the Jornadas do Contrabando takes place on February 14, from 10:00 am to 18:00 pm, in the Main Hall of Paços do Concelho de Alcoutim.
The initiative is organized by the municipalities of Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana, and the theme has been extended to both frontier memories and studies of built and immaterial rural heritage.
Alcoutim is a border village located in the Algarve mountains, opposite Sanlúcar de Guadiana (Andalusia – Spain). This Portuguese-Spanish border is one of the oldest in Europe and has centuries of history that mark the identity of the local populations.
Smuggling was the “art” of trading behind the law and understood by the populations as a world of opportunities, which responded to the needs and difficulties of the people of the border. With the opening of the border, this “traditional” smuggling no longer made sense, closing a cycle.
«In our days it is urgent to record memories, learn about and study a vast immaterial heritage linked to this phenomenon. The generations that lived through “traditional” smuggling are disappearing. With them we lost a wealth of knowledge, passed down between generations, from parents to children and from grandparents to grandchildren, which are part of the culture of the people», says the Alcoutim Chamber.
Among the ideas that will be debated will be the recognition and enhancement of a local identity linked to the border, understanding local needs and the contribution of smuggling to the survival of populations, the importance of a network of contacts and family relationships in the connection between the banks and the enhancement of the memories and heritage of smuggling from the perspective of promoting tourism in the territory.
The journeys this year take place a month and a half before the Smuggling Festival, which runs from the 27th to the 29th of March, and will serve as the launch of the event's program.
On the 14th at 21:30 pm, the show for the Launch of the Contraband Festival “Evaristo, A Classic Never seen” will be presented by the Professional Theater Company of Improviso Instantâneos, at 21:30 pm, at the Espaço Guadiana, in the village of Alcoutim.
Comments