The Centro Português de Caracas hosted its first cultural event since March 2020, when the covid-19 pandemic arrived in Venezuela, and is planning a program that will spark a “Portugal explosion” as part of biosecurity measures in the coming months. The first cultural event of the Centro Português de Caracas (CPC) was an afternoon fado with Portuguese-Venezuelan singer Liliana de Faria, who gathered over 200 people at Cantinho da Cultura.

“Fado is a very important part of Portugal’s musical culture. Today we made fado to bring people together and reactivate the Portuguese Center. This was a success and part of the ‘Projeto Portugalidade’ project that seeks to highlight Portuguese culture, ”explained Luze Sergio Nunez, President of the CPC. Sergio Nunez said that at the club they are making “great efforts” to continue to promote Portuguese culture, but have “adapted to the new reality” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, and that an exhibition at the Jeronimos Monastery is already open. it is planned to make the monument known to the public.

On the other hand, CTC Cultural Director Ana Maria de Abreu explained that the fado evening was originally scheduled for March 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. “Isolation (preventive quarantine) makes people stay at home, are very afraid to go out and communicate. I think something very magical has happened (…) The Portugal project will not stop. , we will fill the Portuguese Center with more and more cultural events, ”he said. The official explained that a “talk” (table for the exchange of ideas) about Portuguese music instruments ”and other upcoming events pending local“ government decrees ”on the evolution of the pandemic in countries are being planned. “The pandemic made us sick, it sowed a lot of sadness, fear, a lot of nerves, and such events make people fill their souls with energy, joy, so that they feel closer to Portugal,” he stressed.

Ana Maria de Abreu insisted that “people get used to staying at home,” but they need to get back to life together. “We have to get back to our daily life, work, go to the club, go to school, take courses, visit friends and have family dinners, listen to fado, go to the cinema, to the theater,” he argued. He also explained that the club’s social distancing and biosecurity measures are “perfect and members can feel safe” at the Portuguese center.

On the other hand, Portuguese-born singer Liliana de Faria explained to Luza that this is her “first public appearance since the start of the pandemic.” “I am very happy because the Portuguese Center is my second home and because I am proud of my roots, because I really like the name of Portugal,” he said. The singer also considered that “it was a very beautiful reunion” and that concerts stopped with the arrival of the pandemic, he gave interviews and recorded videos that he shared on social networks. He explained that he had given an “online” concert on the occasion of International Portuguese Language Day, and insisted that a “body should provide an opportunity for Portuguese descendants to travel to Portugal and demonstrate their talent.”

Venezuela has been in preventive quarantine for COVID-19 since March 2020, currently implementing a local program of seven days of mitigation followed by seven days of strict confinement. Since the start of the pandemic, the country has reported 2,595 SARS-CoV-2-related deaths and 230,147 cases, according to official figures.