TERRA IRADA [ANGERED LAND]
Communitarian expressions of music

The title of the programme Angered Land comes from a fado song ("Terra Irada", in Portuguese), popularised by the great Fernando Maurício, who is known by many as the “king of fado”. The song itself deals with the force found within the roots of communities, soul, existence, independence, coming from a simple, clear, and philosophical standpoint, that is crucial to be salvaged amidst the imposition of cultural blandness and anonymity, the still ongoing struggle for rights, freedom, and emotion which permeate our present reality. This force comes from the core of a folk structure that has been vampirised by capitalism, that continually tries to deprive it of its core functions and virtues, while at the same time creating a simulacrum of a vacuous celebration of its own stylised image. Someone like Fernando Maurício and a song like “Terra Irada” transcend this process. To defend it, is to defend what is precious.

The underlying thread within this programme has to do with grassroots, communitarian expressions of music — that is people — from all around the world, particularly highlighting local manifestations and the worldwide plethora of intercultural links which Portugal has developed, in several and mostly convoluted ways, throughout the centuries. All the while, it also deals with crucial tangents of other segments of the post-colonialist fight, as examples of functional, emancipatory (though still struggling) visions and structures of cultural and, to a degree, socio-economic independence.

Notice: The overall arch and design of this programme was developed months before the global outbreak of Covid-19. We’ve decided to maintain the core message and overall concepts of the programme given that the issues it pertains to, appear even more pertinent than they were prior to the current crisis. Given our present circumstance, the avenues, and platforms in which this programme will be put into practice are quite liquid, as they are dependent on variables not fully under our control.

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