20th edition of Festival Med presented with a tribute performance to Zeca Afonso

The 20th edition of the MED Festival will be presented this Sunday, May 12th, at 5pm, at Cineteatro Louletano, with the performance of Lá no Xepangara, a Portuguese-speaking tribute project to José Afonso.

This presentation will serve to promote all the artists that are part of this year’s lineup, as well as announce the news and programming regarding the “Guest Country”, Morocco, not only in musical terms, but also in other cultural aspects.

As had already been announced at the Lisbon Tourism Exchange (BTL), this chapter of the “Guest Country” begins in 2024 and will be one of the highlights in this edition in which MED celebrates two decades of existence.

In relation to Lá no in January at the Casa das Artes in Famalicão, as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of April 25, 74.

The show Lá no Xepangara, which also includes two educational activities, will circulate the country to the sound of the music and words of José Afonso.

«The project aims to reflect on the strong presence of African culture in the life and work of José Afonso and his role in the fight for decolonization, democratization and the development of Portuguese-speaking society and culture», says the Municipality of Loulé in a note.

Based on the work of José Afonso, as a paradigmatic example of the determining role of art and culture in the Portuguese revolution, the project’s main objective is to “bring the Lusophone community and young people closer to an unavoidable personality in the fight for Democracy, thus praising the contemporaneity and, above all, the universal character of José Afonso’s work».

The collective also has Pedro Oliveira on percussion, João Frade on accordion, Albano Fonseca on bass and consultancy from Viriato Teles.

There at Xepangara there is a concert with the “MED Flavor” label. Tickets to watch this exhibition cost 5 euros.

Among the names already confirmed for this edition of MED are Anthony B (Jamaica), Antti Paalanen (Finland), Bixiga 70 (Brazil), Dubioza Kolektiv (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mazgani (Portugal/Iran), Oum (Morocco), Tito Paris (Cape Verde) or the Portuguese Teresinha Landeiro.