International Lusophone Festival in Goa

Recently Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in partnership with Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and The Government of Goa are going to organise International Lusophone Festival in Goa.

About Lusophone

• Lushophones are people that speak Portuguese language as a native or as a common second language and nations where Portuguese features prominently in society.
• The Lusophone world is spread over nine countries across four continents and Portuguese is the most widely spoken language in the Southern hemisphere.

Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)

• CPLP is also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth (Cumunidade Lusofana).
• CPLP is a multilateral forum, founded in 1996 at the first CPLP Head of State and Government Summit in Lisbon.
• CPLP founding members were Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and Sao Tome e Principe, while Timor Lester and Equatorial Guinea joined later.
• These nine Lasophone countries comprise approximately 300 million people on 4 different continents Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe.

India and CPLP Lusophone World

• Lusophone countries are among the fastest growing economies in the world. India’s trade with Lusophone has grown six-fold in the last decade.
• India joined CPLP as an associate observer in the July 2021. As part of India’s engagement with CPLP, the Ministry of External Affairs celebrated World Portuguese Language Day in Delhi on 5th May 2022.

About Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR)

• Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organisation of Government of India, involved in India’s global cultural relations through cultural exchange with other countries and their people.
• ICCR objectives are to actively participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes pertaining to India’s external cultural relations; to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries; to promote cultural exchange with other countries.