The 25th edition of the FMM, organized by the Municipality of Sines, presents 49 concerts featuring artists from 34 countries, including debuts from Bolivia, Gabon, Guatemala, Jordan, Indonesia (Java), and Somaliland (a state seeking recognition).
Tonight, Spanish group Maestro Espada from Murcia will perform at 9:30 PM, followed by French acts Tago Mago at 10:45 PM and Ko Shin Moon at midnight, replacing Iranian artist Kamakan who is unable to travel due to the “geopolitical situation in Iran.”
Portuguese artist Ana Lua Caiano will take the stage in Porto Covo on Saturday at 9:30 PM, followed by Palestinian Tamer Nafar at 10:45 PM and Gabonese Pamela Badjogo at midnight.
The FMM bids farewell to Porto Covo on Sunday with four more concerts — Galician group A Pedreira at 9:30 PM, Turkish singer Selin Sümbültepe at 10:45 PM, Italian band Kalàscima from Apulia at midnight, and Colombian duo Ácido Pantera at 1:15 AM.
The music, along with various parallel activities such as exhibitions, debates, workshops, storytelling sessions, and children’s workshops, will then move to the city of Sines, also on the Alentejo coast.
Highlights of this edition include performances by Youssou N’Dour (Senegal), Julieta Venegas (Mexico), Rokia Traoré (Mali), Orchestra Baobab (Senegal), and The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices (Bulgaria). The festival will also feature a tribute concert to Jamaican Max Romeo, originally scheduled to perform but passed away in April.
As usual, there is a significant presence of Portuguese-speaking artists, including Brazil’s Nação Zumbi, Bia Ferreira, Luca Argel, and Gabriele Leite; Mozambique’s Roberto Chitsonzo; Cape Verde’s Fábio Ramos, Fidjus Codé Di Dona, and Fidju Kitxora; Guinea-Bissau’s Umafricana; and Angola’s Bonga.
In addition to Ana Lua Caiano, Portugal will be represented by Lena d’Água on the 23rd at 6:00 PM, Capicua on the 25th at 10:15 PM, Miss Universo on the 26th at 6:00 PM, and Bateu Matou in the early hours of the 27th at 3:30 AM.
In statements to the press, FMM’s artistic and production director, Carlos Seixas, emphasized that the festival welcomes “those who know how to listen to others,” highlighting it as “a space of encounters, diversity, discovery, and cultural celebration.”
The Festival Músicas do Mundo won the EFFE Award in 2017 from the European Festivals Association and has received 14 Iberian Festival Awards between 2016 and 2024, including eight Iberian and six national awards.
