As the first Portuguese female diplomat to be in the leadership position as the Consul General of Portugal in China, Mrs Ana Menezes Cordeiro, who Is a strongly principled and focused individual, continues to evolve in the General Consulate board by hosting and engaging the people in China to the Portuguese culture. Recognised officials namely Liu Liu, deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government; Li Wan District Deputy Mayor Wang Yunting; Argentina, Belgium, France, Malaysia, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, Greece, India and other countries in Guangzhou Consul General and representatives; director of the Cantonese Opera Art Museum Ma Nan; Outlook New Era, and many other domestic and foreign political and business and cultural and artistic circles were invited to come and savour the Fado music. Just as she said in an article with Macau Magazine ‘’ My main priority is to make Portugal’s presence in this region stronger and increasingly visible. Being a diplomat anywhere in China is fascinating, but being a Portuguese diplomat in Canton is particularly inspiring.’’ she is truly sticking to her word and she does this with utmost professionalism and elegance.

Instilled with an accommodating nature she exhibits one of Portugal’s cultures called Fado with the community in China, Guangzhou at the Cantonese opera museum on the 17 of May 2023. This was an event that attracted several esteemed guests from different areas of expertise here in Guangzhou. In her own words, Mrs Ana Menezes enlightened us that ‘’this musical genre can be traced back to the 1820s in Lisbon but its golden age began in the 1940s. Several talented performers multiplied and acknowledged stars, such as Amália, “carried fado to every corner of the world and established its place in the pantheons of world music”. In 2011, Fado was added to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco.

More recently, a new generation of fado singers, or fadistas, such as Mariza, Kátia Guerreiro, Camané, Ana Moura, Carminho, Gisela João or Ricardo Ribeiro, managed to take fado to the younger generations, keeping it alive and strong in Portuguese culture’’ . Dressed in a beautiful sophisticated black gown, which was also a representation of the fado culture, Mrs Menezes suavely captures the attention of her guests and leads them to awaken their hearing senses by enjoying the blues and ballads of Fado and Cantonese Opera.

One of the most common forms of communication and relation in the entire universe is music.it represents more than just a compilation of different instrumental sounds. Each sound triggers a different kind of emotion to different people. While Africans vibe to drums and marimbas and Asians to flutes and violins, the Portuguese move to Fado, a delicate ballad that speaks to the soul and sensuality. Fado, which is translated ‘’Fate’’ in English, is a folk music that is from the homely neighbourhoods of Lisbon, the capital and largest city of Portugal. This music genre is about sailors, stirring romance and the adventures happening in the community.

We were delighted to watching a short film that introduced Lisbon. We not only got a chance to hear about Lisbon but we saw the beauty of the city and its people in this film.in addition it was made clear that understand Fado, you must know Lisbon as a character that has its own story to tell. Stretching out her hospitality and kindness, Mrs Ana Menezes offered her guests Portuguese wine and other refreshments. Somehow just like the music, the wine gently tingled with sweetness down our throats. Generously offering different flavours, guests truly enjoyed their evening as they sipped and wined away the evening.

In all the informative speeches and talks of the evening, the exhibition of the fado instruments and attires was probably the highlight of the event. This was where there was an in-depth conveying of the culture of the folk music and story. With the heart-warming effort of sharing stories with her guests as they look at the fado art, Mrs Menezes truly made it a point for her guest to feel at home.it was then that the guest really got a chance to interact and mingled, marvelling at the beauty and depth of the exhibition.an unforgettable environment where people can relax and share knowledge and experiences together. And just like the host, the guests were equally friendly and delighted in communication and acquainting to people of different calibres. For one, Mrs Wang Yunting gave a speech talking about the advancement of culture and heritage in the historical sites in Liwan, which is one of the oldest urban areas in Guangzhou. Liwan has been a gathering place of scenery, scenic spots, and prosperous commerce since ancient times, forming the unique “Xiguan Culture”, a blending of western and eastern culture, of the ancient and the modern time, which has become the core representative of Lingnan Culture nowadays.

There is always a common denominator in culture, be it food, dance, love, and values as well as music. The event was so abundant that we got a chance to also watch a Cantonese traditional music and performance that also had stories to tell. This is a southern China canton heritage that has been around for a while.These stories filled with endurance, desire, and wit. The history behind this art is rich and to see that culture has been kept from generation to generation is very fulfilling. This is a principle that is valued in different nations and cultures. This was in a very calming and refreshing setting by the river. This way of show cases the cultures of both China and Portugal is very appreciated because we get to see the relations between the two cultures. there could have never been a better way to end this event than this one.it was very enlightening to see how joyful it is to show your culture to other people because in this case one becomes the owner and narrator. The blossom on Mrs Menezes’s face at the end of the event was that of accomplishment and truly we got what she intended us to get from it. It also brought a sweet reminder of how beautiful culture is and how important it is to know who you are and where you belong. Everyone has their own identity and we have seen that the identity of Lisbon is Fado.

Mrs Ana Menezes Cordeiro tells Outlook New Era, through pictures, objects, audio and video materials, this exhibition displays the historic context and musical characteristics of Fado music, so that everyone can understand the artistic beauty of this unique symbol of Portuguese national culture. This is the first that we held in the superb Cantonese Opera Art Museum and we hope it will be the first of many. There couldn't be a better place in Guangzhou to honour Fado Music and to bring it before the public. The Cantonese opera and Fado music emerge here in perfect harmony, setting up a bridge between Cantonese and Portuguese cultures.

(Outlook New Era)