Goa marks World Portuguese Language Day with reading session celebrating African and Indian literatures

PANAJI: The Portuguese Language Centre of Camões in Goa and the Consulate‑General of Portugal in Goa, in collaboration with the University of Goa, will celebrate World Portuguese Language Day on May 5 with a Reading Session entitled “Your simple gaze shelters my soul.” Held in the year marking the 30th anniversary of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), the event highlights the plural and global nature of the Portuguese language, spoken by nearly 300 million people worldwide. The Reading Session brings together students and teachers of Portuguese from Goa and partner institutions across India, with a special focus on African and Indian literary works written in Portuguese. The celebrations will conclude with a dramatised reading of an adaptation of “ Auto de El-Rei Seleuco” by Luís de Camões, performed by University of Goa students and accompanied by Bharatanatyam dance.With more than five centuries of presence in India, particularly in Goa, the Portuguese language continues to play an important role in cultural exchange, academic cooperation and international dialogue.