sThere are two nights of concerts at Parque Urbano do Seixal, in the district of Setúbal, which aim to promote artistic proposals that have intervention as a central element of their speech: from politics to social criticism, from environmental activism to fights against discrimination against race and gender, including issues related to the defense of cultural identities and the rights to self-determination, as underlined by the information released today by the organisation.
Festival do Maio is an initiative of the Municipality of Seixal with the artistic direction of the musician Luís Varatojo and, according to its organization, aims to continue a legacy of resistance and struggle “which is the identity mark of the people and the history of the municipality”.
“At a time when we are witnessing the advance of populism and authoritarian drifts all over the world, and when the order of the day is to misinform – especially through the dissemination of false news – it becomes urgent to intervene, inform and awaken consciences ; as Zeca (Afonso) said: ‘What is needed is to warn the people'”, says the organization.
The arts, he adds, and especially music, play a fundamental role in enlightening and mobilizing citizens and in the pursuit of ideals that lead to more evolved and fairer societies.
On the first day of the festival, on May 26, Peaches (Canada), an LGBT rights activist who is considered a leading figure of the Electroclash movement of the early 2000s, will perform.
His show has already been performed in several European countries, in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand – in his own name at some major festivals. In Portugal, Peaches went through the Nos Alive Festival in 2017 and more recently through the new Kalorama Festival, in Lisbon, in September 2022.
Moullinex also performs on the same day, the alter ego of Portuguese producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Luís Clara Gomes.
“From science to art, from spontaneity to formalism, from organic to artificial, from isolation to community, Moullinex thrives on intersections. of ‘headphones'”, explains the organization.
Also on the 26th, the program features the performance of Prétu Chullage, rapper, ‘dizer’, producer and ‘sound designer’ of Cape Verdean origin and raised on the south bank of Lisbon (Seixal).
He has released three albums (“Rapresálias”, 2001, “Rapensar”, 2004 and “Rapressão”, 2012) and several collaborations with other musicians.
Prétu is his most recent project, a work based on his African and electronic references where he expresses his thoughts on colonialism, Pan-Africanism and the political context of Africa and its diaspora.
On the 27th, the poster is composed by Gabriel o Pensador (Brazil) and Sam The Kid with Orelha Negra and Orchestra.
Pioneer of the hip hop movement in Brazil, Gabriel o Pensador shows in the show that celebrates his 25 years of career that he is much more than a rapper: he is a composer, musician, storyteller and, above all, a communicator, says the organization .
The repertoire includes the new hit “Tô Feliz (I killed the president 2)” and classics such as “Retrato de um Playboy” (1993), “2345meia78” and “Cachimbo da paz” (1997), “Astronauta” (1999) and ” Until When” (2001); as well as songs from his latest work “Sem Crise”, such as “Surfista Solitário” – version for the hit by Jorge Ben Jor “1980” -, and “Linhas tortas”, a song that tells his trajectory, from the essays he wrote in the days from school until he became “O Pensador”.
Sam The Kid is back to concerts in his own name, performing alongside his usual band, Orelha Negra (Fred Ferreira, Francisco Rebelo, João Gomes and DJ Cruzfader), and also with a 24-piece orchestra led by maestro Pedro Moreira.
As in previous editions, video poems recorded by artists from different areas – singers, actors, writers – will punctuate the spaces between performances.
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