The Festival Artes à Lança, which takes place in Coimbra between 13 and 15 November, will highlight the heritage and culture of São Tomé and Príncipe, in an event that will feature theater, dance, conferences and concerts.
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03/11/2026
by
Lusa
O festival Artes à Lança, which takes place in Coimbra between 13 and 15 November, will highlight the heritage and culture of São Tomé and Príncipe, after a first edition focusing on Cape Verde, was announced today.
The second edition of the Arts à Lança – Festival do Património will pay special attention to São Tomé and Príncipe, in an event that spreads across different points of the city of Coimbra, said today the organization of the event, in a press conference held at the café Santa Cruz.
In this year's programming, there will be room for traditional theater são Tomense tchiloli (listed in UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage) and for popular dance bullowê, in a festival that will also feature conferences on the fields (old colonial plantations) and on the reservation of the biosphere, which covers the entire territory of that country located in the Gulf of Guinea, said Diogo Coelho, executive director of Golden Skill, a company responsible for the initiative.
The Sãomese researcher and musician Hector Costa will present a conference on the tchiloli, followed by a concert that seeks to be an acoustic “travel” by the sonorities of the archipelago.
In the programming, there will also be space for a concerto de fado de Coimbra by Pardalitos do Mondego, a musical moment starring José Rbola, Felipe Barão and Miguel Calhaz and also a session that crosses oral narration, literature and music, by Rogério Cardoso Pires and Sara Vidal.
The program also includes guided tours to the University of Coimbra and the Cultural Association Museum of Music of Coimbra.
The event is held in partnership with the Embassy of São Tomé and Príncipe in Portugal, with the collaboration of several entities in the city.
The press conference was attended by the Ambassador of São Tomé and Príncipe in Portugal, Esterline Gonçalves Genre, considering that the festival is a moment that allows to make known the culture and heritage of the country.
The festival program, which is of free entry, is still in completion phase and will soon be released through the social networks of the event.