António Tânger Corrêa (left), Ambassador of Portugal to Qatar, and Roberto Abdalla, Ambassador of Brazil to Qatar, at the celebration of Day of Portuguese Language and Culture at Marriott Marquis City Center Doha Hotel, yesterday.
DOHA: The embassies of Portugal and Brazil yesterday marked the Day of Portuguese Language and Culture to celebrate one of the most spoken languages in the world which unite different cultures.
The two countries are the only members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) which have embassies in Qatar celebrating May 5 as Day of Portuguese Language and Culture with various events and activities.
“There are several countries in the world that speak Portuguese, and though they have their own unique cultures, they are integrated through the language creating a cultural melting pot and today we celebrate it,” Ambassador of Portugal to Qatar, António Tânger Corrêa, told reporters yesterday.
“This is a very important day for the eight countries in the world that speak Portuguese as official language and we are proud of it. Brazil has been independent from Portugal for 200 years but this heritage is there, very much present.
“It’s quite remarkable that almost 300 million people speak the same language, so we are proud to speak Portuguese. It’s a strong expression of our culture and we are here to celebrate it today,” said Ambassador of Brazil to Qatar Roberto Abdalla.
Portuguese is now gaining popularity among foreigners who want to learn the language, said Paula Carrajana, Portuguese programme coordinator at Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
Currently, TII is the only institution teaching Portuguese for foreigners from beginner to upper intermediate level.
“We started the programme two years ago and it’s going very well. We have students from Goa in India because their ancestors used to speak Portuguese, in addition to students from Syria and Egypt. We also have many students from different nationalities who are married to Portuguese or Brazilians who want to learn the language in order to speak with family members,” said Carrajana.
The event, which was held at Ipanema at Marriott Marquis Doha, combined gastronomy and cultural and literary presentations. “Portuguese is a very beautiful language, one of the most spoken languages in the world.
“We have countries in all the continents speaking Portuguese. This is a beautiful way to celebrate this ancient and beautiful language which is great for both Portuguese and Brazilian communities as well for all those who are curious about the language,” she said.
A number of students from TII read literary pieces in Portuguese while some embassy staff staged performances at the event. A film viewing on Portuguese culture catered to young students was one of the events lined up to mark the day.
