MAGICAL WORDS | JORGE SERAFIM AND THE ALENTEJANS - The Voices of Sung Storytelling

1 November | 18:00

Location: Municipal Library of Lagos

Organised by: CM Lagos

Duration: 70 minutes

Age Rating: M12

All activities at the Municipal Library are free to attend but require prior registration at least 48 hours before the event. Registration can be done by calling 282 767 816, visiting the Facebook page of the Library, or emailing biblioteca@cm-lagos.pt. Each initiative requires a minimum number of participants. If this number is not reached, the activity may be cancelled.

This event is part of the "Magic Words – Meeting of Tales and Word Arts" initiative, celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Municipal Library of Lagos.

The tale and the song in one time and space. They unite the melodies woven into the narration of a shared south. Four voices of Alentejo singing and a storyteller bring together the vastness of Baixo Alentejo in a single voice. There is a desire and urgency to create a space for the slow passage of words on stage. To refine listening that dissolves invasive ignorance. The stories, cradled by the voices of the South, reveal the geography of the land and the soul. Sometimes they bring wheat in the refrain and nightingales in the heart. The tales point to paths, the songs return. The stories explain the world, the songs release it. The stories come from the origins of humanity, the song comes from the vastness of the plain. Word and melody marry in a symbiosis that traverses nostalgia and deepens longing. Orality, whether song or narration, embodies the utopia of continuing to engage face to face, for those who still listen with their hearts. Welcome to the extension of the South.

Biography: Jorge Serafim is a storyteller, writer, comedian, and visual artist. Originally from Beja, he worked at the Beja Municipal Library for 12 years in the children's and youth sector, focusing on oral storytelling and promoting books and reading. For about 25 years, he has been a narrator of traditional tales and a promoter of literature, visiting numerous schools, libraries, prisons, day centres, theatre festivals, book fairs, and cultural centres across the country and beyond (Macau, Cape Verde, Brazil, USA, Canada, Switzerland, France, Uruguay, Argentina, Luxembourg, Spain), sharing the ancient art of storytelling with anyone willing to listen.

He has also conducted workshops on oral storytelling and reading mediation for Parent and Teacher Associations, as well as seminars on reading mediation. Jorge is a member of the musical group “Tais Quais”, alongside prominent figures in Portuguese music such as Tim, João Gil, Vitorino, Vicente Palma, Paulo Ribeiro, Celina da Piedade, and Sebastião Santos. In literary creation, he is the author and illustrator of various genres: “There is No Silk in Memories”, “In the Shadow of Anguish” (novel); “Dreaming Far Away”, “The Tuner of Memories”, “My Mouth Seems Like a Desert”, “Love at First Sight” (children's); “A.Ventura”, “South of You” (poetry); “The Stories of Serafim”, “Reencounters of Arraiolos” (short stories). As a visual artist, he has held several illustration exhibitions in libraries, galleries, and cultural centres across the country. As a comedian, he became well-known to the public through regular appearances on television programmes on SIC and RTP.

Free Parking - The Centro Cultural de Lagos and the Biblioteca Municipal de Lagos offer free parking at the Frente Ribeirinha car park (Avenida dos Descobrimentos) for attendees of their shows/events. To receive this discount, visitors must present a stamp obtained at the ticket office of the Centro Cultural de Lagos or the entrance of the Biblioteca Municipal de Lagos at the car park reception. This offer applies only one hour before and up to one hour after each show/event.