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Open Mic Night in Tavira
The Álvaro de Campos Festival / Birthday Party takes place in Tavira from 15 October to 30 November each year. Last year, I helped organise an impressive and enjoyable Open Mic Night in the cold of winter. On Friday, 22 November this year (2024), we will try again to bring musicians, poets and writers together to perform on a small stage to an eager audience at Casa Álvaro de Campos. The venue is a cafe with a piano and a small stage. Last year, we managed to get 6 delightful musicians and singers on the stage! The cafe is on the steps, just down from the Tavira Museum near the Igreja da Misericórdia de…
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Whisky Galore Fundraiser- Help Tavira artists to perform in Glasgow!
Tavira and Glasgow have a cultural connection that is about to become even more potent. In 2019 two Scottish poets performed in Tavira, together with their Portuguese colleagues, and this year the event will take place in Glasgow. Unfortunately, there is not enough money for travel and hotels. From the total costs of € 6.000 still € 4.000 need to be raised. Why is the connection between Tavira and Glasgow important? Tavira’s famous poet, Álvaro de Campos, was born here in 1890 and moved to Glasgow to study naval engineering. Álvaro de Campos including his birthday, only existed in the poet Fernando Pessoa’s imagination. He was one of his heteronyms,…
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Reflections: Visiting Birmingham
Jim and I travelled in May and June (for nearly seven weeks) to the UK, Greece and Ireland. We are now back in Portugal. This latest post is some reflections on Birmingham, UK, our first stop. I may share more from my journal about Bloomsbury and then Ireland in other posts. The last time we lived in the UK was 15 years ago. We have not visited for the last five. On Tuesday, 7 May, we landed in Birmingham and stayed a few nights in this modern changing City. I was born and grew up in South Brum, so I know it well. Some of my memories could be clearer,…
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Drought, World Water Day and Saharan dust
On World Water Day, 22 March, the Municipality of Tavira sent out details of a new awareness and information campaign entitled “Water is Life, but it can End.“ I was puzzled at first because this theme is taken from the Lakota phrase “Mní wičhóni” “Water is Life” which was the protest anthem from Standing Rock. It also has a spiritual meaning rooted in Indigenous world views. “For Native Americans, water does not only sustain life, it is sacred.” The campaign is launched as the Algarve is being hit by Saharan sand, which will continue until next Monday. Everywhere is covered in brown mucky dust. So don’t wash your car or…
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Cachopo, the windmill, wild flowers, the earthstar and the stones
Some days I just want to bottle moments of joy. That not being possible, on International Women’s Day 2024, I decided to start recording the events of a magical day from earlier in the week. Four women had a mission, an electric car, which I drove and the sun on our backs. You could call our mission one of spirit – that is we wanted to find ancient stones. We are women who meet together to meditate and create art. We feel connected to each other and the earth, so for me our exploration was about deepening our relationship with nature. But also the opportunity for a “jolly out” together.…
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New – History tours of Tavira
As part of her master’s degree, Isabel Macieira has published several studies about the History of Art. She is the author of the book – “A Pintura sacra em Tavira, séculos XV a XX – estudos e inventário” (The Sacred Painting in Tavira XV to XX centuries). As a teacher between 1983-2014, she developed with various groups an awareness of local history involving the natural and built environment. So it could be said that she knows something about the city of Tavira, its heritage and architecture. Once a month or so since September 2016, she has offered a city tour to residents, visitors and tourists. The tours are grounded in…
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Hold hands on Tavira island and stop fracking
A peaceful protest to highlight the dangers of fracking and offshore drilling in the Algarve will take place on the island of Tavira this coming weekend 23 and 24 July 2016. It has been organised by Tavira in Transition – Tavira em Transicao. The two days will be filled with talks, opportunities to sign petitions, sand sculpture workshops, jazz concerts, a sunset party with DJs and on Sunday 24th, people can join a human chain stretching all along the island’s shoreline. The events are being carried out in partnership with the Council of Tavira, with the support of all the local authorities within the county of Tavira, the Association of…
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A few photos from the launch of the Copacabana – Panoramas of Rio de Janeiro Exhibition
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The route of cork
Did you know that there is an interpretation room in São Bras do Alportel Museum, dedicated to Cork? The town has a long history of its production and extraction as well as the creative use and development of the product. This room is where the Cork Route Tour starts, if you sign up with the Rota da Cortiço Association. They offer a range of tours for the young and those less agile. Many cork trees, along with carob and olive trees were destroyed in last July’s fires. Cork farmers have lost not just one crop but many years of cork harvests. Although they are replanting, the new trees will not…
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Books, London Book Fair and Tavira reading “flash mob”
A couple of years ago a few book enthusiasts organised an event for young people at the Library in Tavira. The idea was that children of different cultures would come together and share their favourite books and read in their own language from those books. Children practiced their reading aloud to an audience and each other and on the performance day they were very excited about being heard and being able to read their treasures. This last week in Tavira, there has been a celebration of reading and young people from many of the local schools have organised themselves with the help of their teachers and the Library to read and create…
