The festival, taking place in that village in the Leiria district from Thursday to the 19th, under the theme “Borders,” features various initiatives to mark the 40th anniversary of Portugal’s accession to the European Union, organized by the Representation of the European Commission in Portugal, in collaboration with the Assembly of the Republic, the European Parliament Office in Portugal, Creative Europe, and the Europe Direct West, Lezíria, and Médio Tejo Center.
The first European-branded initiative will occur on Friday, with a discussion panel titled “Borders, Culture, and the European Union,” addressing how EU accession “influenced cultural borders, generated opportunities for new international collaborations, and consolidated a European dimension in Portuguese artistic production,” according to a note from the European representation in Portugal.
The panel will be held at the Literary Village Tent and will feature the representative of the European Commission in Portugal, Sofia Moreira de Sousa, in conversation with artists from different fields, such as musician Matay and director Tiago Mesquita.
On the 14th, the Chocolate House will host the informative session “National and European Funding for the Book and Publishing Sector,” presenting national and European support mechanisms for publishing, translating, and internationalizing works.
The session, aimed at professionals in the book sector, will include representatives from the Directorate-General for Books, Archives, and Libraries and the Creative Europe Information Center.
On the 15th and 16th, storyteller Sónia Dias will conduct sessions with primary schools in the municipality under the theme “Together We Find the Way,” followed by the workshop “We: European Union” led by author David Machado, “where participants will be invited to create new characters for the book’s collective narrative.”
Additionally, on October 17th, the Abílio de Mattos e Silva Museum will host the debate “40 Years of Culture and Portuguese Language in the EU,” featuring Portuguese Members of the European Parliament discussing linguistic diversity, the evolution of artistic creation, and Portugal’s contribution to European cultural construction.
Organizers also highlight the presentation of the work “We: European Union and the Mission: Democracy collection” on the 18th at the Chocolate House.
Besides Sofia Moreira de Sousa, author David Machado, illustrator João Fazenda, and young reader Francisco Borges, the session is expected to include the presence of the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar Branco.
Portugal’s accession will also be the theme for an exhibition at the Casa José Saramago – Óbidos Municipal Library throughout the festival.
Entitled “Traveling Through Europe via Stories,” the display features 31 traditional children’s storybooks in 31 European languages, selected by European Commission translators, celebrating European Languages Day and European cultural heritage.
All sessions are open to the public and free of charge.
This year, Fólio – Óbidos International Literary Festival celebrates its 10th edition, welcoming two Nobel Prize in Literature laureates (Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich and South African author J. M. Coetzee) among approximately 800 authors and writers from various countries, participating in over 450 cultural initiatives during 11 days.
The festival is organized by the municipality of Óbidos in partnership with the municipal company Óbidos Criativa, Ler Devagar, and the Inatel Foundation.
