The Lisbon Academic Festival, organized by the Lisbon Academic Federation (FAL), begins today, May 2nd, in Vale do Silêncio, in Olivais. The event, which features performances by several artists, such as DAMA, Nininho Vaz Maia, Os Quatro e Meia and, as usual, Quim Barreiros, runs until Saturday. The organization has “around five thousand people a day”says Mariana Barbosa, interim president of the FAL.
However, the FAL fears that it will be harmed due to what happened in September last year, when the Lisbon Academic Week (SAL) was cancelled. “SAL has nothing to do with us at all. Another organization that promotes and organizes it, which is the Associação Académica de Lisboa (AAL).
It turns out that Numerous complaints have been received by FAL due to the cancellation of SAL. This is because the AAL, also in the person of its president, Diogo Martinho Henriques (who is also general secretary of the Socialist Youth of Madeira), has allegedly been uncontactable since then. “Every day we receive contacts from people who have not been able to get their ticket money back. They have been waiting since September”, reveals Mariana Barbosa.
And there’s more: “At the time, on the Lisbon Academic Week page, they gave a contact that led to nothing. It would ring and no one would answer or it would even say it was not connected. They gave a emailno one ever responded like that either email. At the time there was even a form to obtain a refund for the ticket. But the warning was made 15 minutes before the form closed. In other words, they didn’t give people a dignified response.”continues the FAL leader.
“There are those who think that we are the same, but we have made publicity in this sense, to show the difference between the two events and the two organizations”, explains the FAL leader.
Even so, this organization fears being harmed at its festival. “At first glance, what happened could impact our event. It is always our concern, from the beginning, to completely separate ourselves from the other organization.”
AAL is accused by the FAL of several crimes, following the cancellation of SAL in September last year. “There must already be thousands of people, more than a thousand people, for sure, who have contacted us. All those who bought tickets were then left without the festival because either the days were canceled or the artists refused to perform. Everyone was hurt.”accuses Mariana Barbosa.
The interim president of the FAL goes further: “There was theft of the ticketing billing system. Both POS [terminais multibanco] such as the ticketing billing system were directly linked to the organization’s account. The people who provided these services were robbed directly, in addition to other suppliers, such as those who set up the stage and the artists.” Mariana Barbosa says that the alleged financial hole is in the “hundreds of thousands of euros”.
Taking into account the cancellation of the other academic event [Semana Académica de Lisboa], FAL tries to “build a relationship of trust with the public”. “Of course we will be a little harmed, but we are working to make sure it is as little as possible”, says the interim president of the FAL.
