Lisboa Na Rua.....watching Fado movies outside

I got to do something really fun and interesting last Saturday night. My new friend Shelly invited me to go watch some films outside. Both films were about "fado" music. The first movie was an old silent film and two fado guitarists played live during the movie as a soundtrack. That was really fantastic. They were such good musicians and what they played really complemented the film well. The second movie was a documentary about Amalia Rodrigues, probably the most famous fado singer in the world. Fado means "fate" and is a kind of Portuguese music that expresses sadness and longing or "saudade". This word is hard to translate in English but many people compare it to the word "nostalgia". My friend Bozena found this link about fado if you want to learn more:

Fado: The Soul of Portugal

It was a really exciting evening in many ways. First, it was a very good program with live music. Shelly made the point that in Portugal, even in times of "austerity" or a bad economy, the government still funds lots of arts-related events that are free. Pretty cool. And, for me, I got to watch a film, listen and read subtitles in the language I am trying to learn - what a fun way to learn, right ? Also, the place that this event was held is in a neighborhood called Mouraria. This is a really interesting part of Lisbon or Lisboa, in Portuguese, that has a history of Fado so it was a perfect place to show these films. And, before the first film started, there was a slide show of photographs of people who live in the neighborhood. This was very interesting and everyone clapped afterwards. One of the photos of people was Helder Moutinho, a wonderful fado singer I had seen at the restaurant behind where they screened the films. So cool to see his photo and know that he is an important part of this neighborhood ! See below if you want more info about Mouraria:

Mouraria Neighborhood Guide

The feeling in the air that night seemed special. It seemed like it was a real celebration of the neighborhood and the culture of Lisboa and the people. It was like a party and took place in a little courtyard - a place called "Largo de Severa" which is where a wonderful restaurant and fado club. Here is more info about this restaurant and club called Maria de Mouraria.

Maria de Mouraria

Well, I know this is getting to be a long blog entry so I'll try to wrap it up. It was a great night for me. I didn't know anything about Amalia Rodrigues and she led quite an interesting life. David Byrne introduced the film and said she sang not just about the sadness of people but the sadness of the universe. What an amazing way to get to know more about Lisboa and fado ! Here are my photos from that evening. I wish I could have gotten photos of the two guitarists but they were in darkness on a stage below the screen.