On the occasion of Europe Day, celebrated on May 9, cooperation between Europe and Africa was marked with various cultural, academic and entertainment events in Portuguese-speaking African Countries and Timor-Leste (PALOP-TL), during the may.
The celebrations began in Guinea-Bissau, where the date was marked with a visit by the Head of the European Union Delegation in that country, Sónia Neto, to the Liceu João XXIII, in Bissau, on May 6, where he shared the values and principles of the European Project, as well as the action of the European Union as a global actor. The visit was also an excellent opportunity to explain to the students the Partnership between the European Union and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau in its various aspects. The value of peace, stability, solidarity, democracy and respect for human rights in favor of sustainable development was highlighted.
Also in Bissau, the seminar “Green and Inclusive Cities in Guinea-Bissau” took place on May 10 at the Franco-Bissau-Guinean Cultural Center, which aimed to analyze and discuss ongoing initiatives and future projects in the field of urban development, and which was attended by the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Urban Planning of Guinea-Bissau and the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System who, together with the Ambassador of the European Union and the Ambassadors of Team Europe, highlighted the importance of urban planning sustainable territorial and environmental terms and social inclusion.
In Mozambique, a project fair was held on May 7 in Fortaleza de Maputo, the Mozambican capital, whose main objective was to publicize the projects, in various areas, that are being implemented in Mozambique with funding from the European Union, including PROCULTURA. On a hot Saturday afternoon for the month of May, several people went to the Maputo Fortress, at first timidly, but later on a large scale, to see up close the PROCULTURA projects, financed under Diversity, such as: Emptyroom – interdisciplinary virtual residencies, Traditional tales on radio for children, Pottery -Our Art and Sustenance, Radio Diversity, Galeria timbila, Street Theater Festival – ku phanda, Website creation and legalization of converge +, Mapping, research and dissemination of Chigovia among others.
The fair was attended by the ambassadors of the European Union countries accredited in Mozambique, among other personalities, and at the end it was brightened by the well-known local band KAKANA to the great satisfaction of those present. Film screenings in Maputo’s neighborhoods and discussions were other events organized as part of Europe Day in Maputo.
Cape Verde, in turn, hosted several cultural events, with emphasis on musical concerts in Mindelo, Porto Inglês and Cidade da Praia.
The celebrations closed in a big way in Timor-Leste, where Europe Day was marked with a fair of projects that took place on the 27th and 28th of May, in Timor Plaza, downtown Dili, during which three projects financed by the framework of the PALOP-TL Program and the EU, namely PACED, Pro PALOP-TL ISC Phase II and PROCULTURA. The fair, which was attended by the newly elected President of the Republic of Timor-Leste, Ramos Horta, and the Head of the European Union Mission in Timor-Leste, among other personalities, had as its slogan ”United in Diversity ” and also included gastronomy, music, contests, and other activities for adults and children.
The European Union and the PALOP-TL are united in a cooperation program (PALOP-TL / EU) which in 2022 marks 30 years of existence and which has already produced positive results in the scope of strengthening the rule of law, public administration, and generation of jobs in the cultural area, through PACED, Pro PALOP-TL ISC and PROCULTURA.
