International Lusophone Festival
- Recently, the International Lusophone Festival was held in Goa, India, which has been hosted by India.
- India will give priority to improve relations with Lusophone countries to harness their potential
- It is an effort to promote India’s relations with Lusophone countries.
- The Portuguese rule over Velha Goa (or Old Goa) began in 1510 AD and continued till the year
About the Lusophone World (Portuguese Speaking Countries)
- It includes nine countries from four continents.
- Portuguese is the most spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere.
- In the year 1996, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) was formed. It is also called the Lusophone Commonwealth.
- The CPLP is a multilateral forum of 9 member states and 32 associate observers. India is its associate observer country.
- Its members are: Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor Leste and Equatorial Guinea.
India – Lusophone Relations
- In the year 2014, the 3rd Lusofonia Games were organized in Goa. It was attended by athletes from Lusophone countries.
- India’s trade with CPLP countries has grown sixfold in the last decade.
- India provides training to all CPLP member countries except Portugal under its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program (ITEC) and India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) framework.
Following are the areas for future cooperation:
Strategic Sectors: Blue Economy, Renewable Energy, Defense etc.;
Start-ups and cutting edge technologies: Nanotechnology, Biotechnology etc.
Source – The Hindu
