Museum celebrates Day of the Portuguese Language
In recognition of the International Day of the Portuguese Language on May 5, which has been officially established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2019, the Portuguese Language Museum has prepared a special two-day program on May 5 and 6. This free event was designed to showcase the power and diversity of the Portuguese language and Brazilian music, featuring a range of exhibits, performances, and interactive experiences. 
The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (LP), an intergovernmental organization that brings together the peoples who have the Portuguese language as one of the foundations of their specific identity, has been an official partner of Unesco since 2000 to celebrate the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures.
Historian and musician Cacá Machado, the curator of the International Day of the Portuguese Language at the museum, said the program was based on two thematic poetic nuclei. The first is called "Rut of the Earth" and the second was named "Rhythm Machine". Based on this, the curator created three types of programming: pocket shows, conversation rounds, and performances.
"The first thematic axis has the title of a Chico Buarque song that had enormous success and spoke precisely of the earth germinating the song. I identify the Brazilian lyrical tradition in it, which is very strong. The second axis is the title of a Gilberto Gil song and says a lot about our capacity to transform everything into a rhythm, import, export, recreate, remix experience through a rhythmic diction that is always unique," explained Machado.
As he pointed out, the Portuguese language is spoken across many countries and continents, including the Americas, Asia, and Africa. He believes that having a day dedicated to celebrating this linguistic diversity is a powerful affirmation of the experiences and cultural identities that the Portuguese language encomes. "The existence of this day is of utmost importance. It’s something that we have to value a lot, to reflect on the contemporary use of the language spoken today which is in constant mutation, and transformation. This dynamism is what makes the Portuguese language so beautiful and expressive," said the curator.
According to Unesco, Portuguese is not only one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with over 265 million speakers across all continents, but it is also the most spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere. Additionally, Portuguese is one of the primary languages of international communication, and its geographic reach is expected to continue expanding.
"Language Days are celebrated every year around the world to promote multilingualism and cultural diversity and raise awareness in the international community about the history, culture, and use of each of these languages. Multilingualism is a core value of the United Nations and an area of strategic importance for UNESCO, promoting harmonious communication among peoples, unity in diversity, international understanding, tolerance, and dialogue," UNESCO noted.
