As Don Quixote, by Miguel Cervantes, «takes people from all over the world to visit the region of La Mancha», or there are those who «go to London to look for references to Sherlock Holmes», Álvaro de Campos, despite being a heteronym of Fernando Pessoa still little known, it has been “a privilege for the city of Tavira”.
To celebrate the “birth” of this heteronym, the “Birthday Party of Álvaro de Campos”, which starts this Friday, October 15th, and continues until November 30th, in Tavira, will feature a vast program of activities such as the recitation of poems, theatre, music, exhibitions and a world premiere of cinema.
The idea of celebrating the anniversary of the heteronym of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa «came in 2015 by the hand of Casa Álvaro de Campos, in partnership with associations in the municipality», begins by saying Tela Leão, president of the association Partilha Alternativa, in an interview with Sul Informação.
From then on, Tela Leão decided to «start inviting more people and try to make a celebration that involved the city», because «I think it can bring to Tavira a connection with the character and, from the point of view of cultural tourism, the city it could become a point of interest», he emphasizes.
Over time, Álvaro de Campos, who, according to Fernando Pessoa, «was born in Tavira on 15 October 1890, he studied Naval Engineering in Scotland” but, however, “did not exercise the profession because he could not bear to live confined to offices”, he has been increasingly known, But, stresses the cultural programmer, “There are still many years to go before we reach the point of comparing himself with, by way of example, the Don Quixote of Miguel Cervantes”.
«Comparing with Don Quixote or Sherlock Holmes, in which people visit the regions and places of the stories because of a character, with Fernando Pessoa becoming more and more known internationally, Álvaro de Campos is following that a bit line, which I think is a privilege for Tavira and for the visitors», he adds.
Celebrating yet another “Feast of the Years of Álvaro de Campos”, after having been adapted in 2020 to the online due to the pandemic, Partilha Alternativa presents, in collaboration with other associations in the municipality, «several exhibitions of plastic and visual arts, poems, theater plays, music and dance».
Opening the initiative, this Friday, October 15th, Casa Álvaro de Campos will place “A Table Set with More Glasses | Poemus” in the Municipal Library of Tavira, “a poetry reading session, accompanied by the sound of the piano, which will include fragments and scattered poems by Pedro Jubilot and some verses adapted from the heteronym of Fernando Pessoa”.
Also on this day, when Álvaro de Campos celebrates his birthday, there will be a shared reading of poems, between actor Vítor Correia (Artist's Armação) and all those present in Praça da República, as well as there will still be time to observe the moon with Ricardo Freitas, from Clube Ciência Viva de Tavira.
On the following day, 16th October, Banda Musical de Tavira will make a ruckus to Jardim do Coreto, «built in the year of Álvaro de Campos' birth», thus creating «a connection that has brought music to this space», he says. Lion Screen.
Of the various events included in the “Festa dos Anos de Álvaro de Campos”, the president of the association Partilha Alternativa highlights the “Vídeos Pessoa” project, which “involved 25 local and regional artists”, and which will be presented on November 11 at Cinemas NOS from Tavira Gran Plaza.
«Since 2015, we started composing new musical themes with poems by Pessoa, written by local citizens, in which we chose six of them. We organized the professional recording in a studio in Olhão and then these themes were distributed among filmmakers in the region to create a video inspired by the music», explains Tela Leão.
Also on November 11th, the premiere of “Concubina Japonesa”, a co-production with Brazil and Spain, will be presented, with the idea coming from a couple of Japanese artists after a performance by Tela Leão at the “Festa dos Anos de Álvaro de Campos” of 2019.
The short film takes the story “of a Portuguese ambassador who went to Japan, married a geisha and ended up staying there for the rest of his life” and mirrors it in Álvaro de Campos' father, “who leaves his wife and his son in Tavira, goes to Japan and finds a Japanese concubine whom he marries when his wife dies in Portugal».
The project, which «has been developed since 2019», is based on three monologues, the father, the mother and the Japanese concubine, as Tela Leão wanted to «film these characters telling their own story from their point of view».
In addition to these initiatives, "other interesting things are also planned", which can be consulted on the website of the “Party of the Years of Álvaro de Campos”.
Tela Leão also recalls the previous years of the event, before the pandemic, when «there was a period when Tuk Tuk Tavira participated with a poetic tour of the city» or when “we made a partnership with the Irene Rolo Foundation and they developed the idea of rice pudding with the image of Fernando Pessoa in cinnamon”, and he hopes that in the next few years “these creative ideas will emerge”.
The “Party of the Years of Álvaro de Campos” has been gaining “more participants than the audience itself”, but Tela Leão, despite “having no idea what will happen this year”, in terms of adhesion to the event, says in playful tone that «maybe a lot of people will go».
«Whoever wants to participate in the different initiatives, please consult the website of the event, find out how you can make reservations and make the most of the “Alvaro de Campos Birthday Party”», concludes Tela Leão.
Comments