The renowned Fado Festival has once again found its home in Maputo, filling the city with the unique melodies and deep feeling that only fado can convey. After the hybrid 2020 edition, which featured Fábia Rebordão, Cuca Roseta and Sara Correia, and the first in-person edition in 2022, with the fado stars Katia Guerreiro and Hélder Moutinho, 2023 treated audiences to an even more impactful event.
The 2023 edition, held in person, provided unforgettable moments. On 8 June, the Montebelo Indy Maputo Congress Hotel resonated to the sound of one of the most celebrated voices in contemporary fado: the incomparable Carminho. The audience had the unique opportunity to enjoy her intense and moving performance, which captivated the house.
However, the festival still had surprises in store. On 10 June, lovers of Portuguese music attended a sublime Portuguese guitar concert with a virtuoso performance by André Dias. Held at the Portuguese School of Mozambique – Centre for Portuguese Teaching and Language, the event was marked by a surprise appearance by the fado singer Carminho, which made the evening even more special. Both concerts were free to attend, but with limited capacity in the venues.
Complementing the concerts, the Fado Festival offered a Portuguese guitar workshop, led by André Dias, and a screening of the film “Guitarras à portuguesa” by Ivan Dias, which took place on 9 June at Camões – Portuguese Cultural Centre in Maputo. These activities, part of the celebrations of Portugal Day, Camões Day and Portuguese Communities Day, were intended to publicise and value fado, which is considered a heritage of humanity.
This international event, the Fado Festival, is held in seventeen cities scattered across the four corners of the globe: Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. The initiative has the support of several Portuguese bodies, among which the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic, the Embassy of Portugal in Maputo, Camões – Portuguese Cultural Centre in Maputo and the Fado Museum stand out.
