Portuguese Language Week to take place in Tbilisi
By Mariam Chanishvili
Wednesday, May 29
The TSU Camoes Portuguese Language Center and the Brazilian Embassy in Georgia are organizing a celebration of the Portuguese Language Week from Monday 10th to Friday 14th of June. The events will be held every day.
The events will be held at Tbilisi State University (Block I).
The opening ceremony, which will take place on June 10, will be accompanied by Jose Saramago’s exhibition. It will also feature a concert by Londa Jgenti.
Jose Saramago was a Portuguese writer and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature. His works can be seen as allegories, commonly presenting subversive perspectives on historic events.
On June 11, Conference by Marietta Chikhladze will take place on the following topic: Representation of Queen St. Ketevan’s Martyrdom on the 18th Century Azulejo Panel.
The 18th century Panel depicting martyrdom of Georgian Saint Queen Ketevan has been preserved and then restored with the financial support of the Government of Georgia in 2017. 12 meters long and 3 meters high panel, made in traditional style of Portuguese art, on glazed clay tiles, coloured with blue paint ("Azulejo"), is the only image of the Saint Queen in the world.
Within the frames of the events, Portuguese documentary screenings will take place (Embargo directed by Antonio Ferreira, Jose e Pilar directed by Miguel Goncalves Mendes, etc.)
The relations between Georgia and Portugal have historic origins. Georgian culture and lifestyle was first introduced to the Portuguese by a famous poet Luis Vaz de Camoes in his epic poem “Lusiada.”
He drew parallels between Portuguese history and the legend of "Argonauts", depicted the story of Medea and Jason, portrayed the life within Kolkheti and Iberia Kingdoms and called upon European Christian countries to defend Georgia from its foreign enemies.
TSU Camoes Portuguese Language Center is a joint venture of Ivane Javakhishvil Tbilisi State University (TSU) and the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It serves the promotion the Portuguese language and culture in Georgia and strengthen the connections between the two countries.
