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Portugal National Day to highlight country’s talent and cultural heritage at Expo 2020 Dubai

Portugal is gearing up to celebrate its National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai, on Friday, January 14th, with a packed itinerary of cultural shows and a unique repertoire of Portuguese music, as well as a Business Seminar to promote Portugal as an investment destination. The celebration will feature a commemorative postcard and an Arabic edition of two emblematic works of Portuguese literature.

 

Two full days of programming are set to take place at Expo: on Thursday, 13th January, the Portugal Business Briefing will promote the country’s trade and investment opportunities, with an opening speech by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Francisco André. The event will also feature presentations by the President of the Portuguese Trade & Investment Agency (AICEP) and Portugal’s Commissioner-General to Expo 2020 Dubai, Luís Castro Henriques; INESC TEC Administrator, José Carlos Caldeira; and the President of Siemens Portugal, Pedro Pires de Miranda.

 

On the same day, Portugal will celebrate the 116th anniversary of Livraria Lello, one of the country’s oldest bookstores, with a special Arabic edition of two emblematic works of Portuguese literature – Os Lusíadas by Luís de Camões and Mensagem by Fernando Pessoa. This will be followed by the launch of a commemorative postcard for the Portuguese Pavilion, made by CTT (national postal service provider).

 

On January 14th, Portugal’s National Day will kick off at 10:15am (local time), with an Official Ceremony at Al Wasl Plaza, which will be attended by Portuguese and UAE delegations, followed by the flag raising, Portugal’s national anthem and official speeches by high representatives. To close the ceremony, there will be a musical moment with António Chainho and Marta Pereira da Costa, on the Portuguese guitar, followed by a joint performance with Teresa Salgueiro.

 

“Portugal’s National Day will undoubtedly be the highlight of the Portuguese participation at Expo 2020 Dubai. The cultural and economic programme we have in store aims to celebrate the very best of our country, our culture, and our talent, ultimately reflecting our biggest goal for this global event: to raise Portugal’s image across borders, particularly in the Arab world”, says Portugal’s Commissioner-General to Expo 2020 Dubai, Luís Castro Henriques.

 

The highlight of the National Day celebrations will take place at 6pm in Jubilee Park, with the music and multimedia show Al Qantara (which means “bridge” in Arabic), created exclusively for this day.

 

The concert will premiere the original song Al Qantara, composed by Teresa Salgueiro and musician Fred Ferreira, featuring all of the event’s headliners, including Portuguese guitar players António Chainho and Marta Pereira da Costa, along with traditional percussion group Retimbrar.

 

Throughout these days, the Portugal Pavilion will also host urban sketcher Tomás Reis, who promises to create a sketchbook with unique illustrations of Portugal’s National Day, as well as the visitor experience at Expo 2020 Dubai.

 

For the full programme, click here.