A World Upside Down

A set of cultural events in the fields of music, cinema, literature, theatre and dance, focused on drawing attention to a pressing issue in today’s world: people’s mobility — especially forced mobility — either for natural, political, or economic reasons. With emphasis on the case of cultural professionals who, unexpectedly, are deprived or prevented from developing their art, or from exercising their activity. Various projects are exhibited, from the Portuguese artistic milieu, combining influences from artists from countries at war, or facing other adversities. A world that seems to be upside down, and where culture is one of the weakest sections.

Program

June 17: 7pm
Semente Simurgh
The Semente Simurgh (Simurgh Seed) project, combines traditional Afghan music with contemporary dance, by a group of artists that includes Afghan choreographers and dancers, a sound designer and musicians.
Over 6

July 6: 7pm
LITÁ | Authentic Ukrainian singing and traditional music group
Although still quite young, Lita carries in its voices all the wisdom of their ancestors. In an inexplicably powerful vibration, they have the ability to connect us with our origins.
Over 6

July 10: 9:30 pm
Flee
Movie by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Amin was a minor when he arrived in Denmark, just by himself, coming from Afghanistan. Now, aged 36, he is a successful scholar, and is engaged to his long-time boyfriend. But he has been hiding a secret for over 20 years, which is beginning to threaten to ruin the life he has built for himself. For the first time, Amin shares his story with a close friend.
Over 12

July 18: 9:30 pm
Free – The Rescue
By Teatro Gíria
Free is the most recent theatrical creation by the theatre Teatro Gíria, which started to be created about a year ago when the structure invited Miguel Graça to write a play about the migration crisis in the Mediterranean. During that time, the author had the opportunity not only to investigate the events that began to echo in our consciousness, especially from 2013 — with the shipwreck of Lampedusa, where about three hundred people lost their lives —, but also to interview several people, namely refugees, migrants and volunteers with direct contact with this reality.
Over 14

July 24: 9:30 pm
A Morte de uma Cidade (The Death of a City)
A film by João Rosas | Portugal, 2023, 116’
In portuguese and creole (Cape Verde language), subtitled in portuguese and english.
In the heart of Bairro Alto, in the very centre of Lisbon, the building that formerly housed an old printing company is demolished to make way for luxury apartments. Seeing this as a perfect image of the death of a certain Lisbon in the aftermath of the financial crisis and of the exponential growth of real estate and tourism that followed, the director films an urban diary that portrays the daily life of the construction site and of those working at the site
Over 12

September 2: 11 am, 3 pm and 6 pm
Poetry reading
11 am – Companhia Portugueza do Chá
3 pm – Apaixonarte (art gallery)
6 pm – Tânia Gil Jewelry
Poetry reading cycle, and of other universal literature texts, on topics such as forced mobility, inclusion, and freedom. The actors are invited to read and to declaim in various less conventional venues in the Misericórdia neighbourhood, always close to the Polo Cultural Gaivotas Boavista.

September 7: 7 pm
Yoka Kongo!
The band is mostly made up of immigrants who share an interest in African music, with emphasis on the sounds of Central Africa, on its presence in the Diaspora, and on the music it gave rise to on the American continent.
Over 6

September 9: 11 am, 3 pm and 6 pm
Poetry reading
11 am – Farmácia Açoreana Largo Conde Barão
3 pm – Clube 33, Record club (record store)
6 pm – Tânia Gil Jewelry
Poetry reading cycle, and of other universal literature texts, on topics such as forced mobility, inclusion, and freedom. The actors are invited to read and to declaim in various less conventional venues in the Misericórdia neighbourhood, always close to the Polo Cultural Gaivotas Boavista.

Location: