Lisbon's Groundbreaking Literary Festival Empowers Children and Teens to Take the Stage

Lisbon is hosting its first-ever literary festival specifically designed for children and young people, where they can actively participate in the programming. This initiative aims to fill a gap in cultural offerings, as highlighted by one of the organizers.

The Agora literary festival for children and youth will take place from the 25th to the 27th in various venues across Lisbon, including the Assembly of the Republic and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. It features a series of events tailored to engage the younger audience.

Carlos Moura-Carvalho, who co-organizes the festival with writer Maria Inês Almeida and researcher Odete Severino Soares, stated, "We believe that in Portuguese society, there aren't many actions for civic participation, for listening to and understanding what young people and children are doing."

One of the festival's highlights at the Palácio Galveias Library is a meet-up of booktokers—young individuals who promote books and reading on TikTok. According to the organizers, these influencers are responsible for boosting book sales.

"We live in an era of the internet, extreme communication, and absolute ease of access to information. Young people and children are much more informed than we think. We designed a festival that takes this into account, with several panels where they participate, focusing on projects that emphasize children, education, and fostering reading," explained the programmer.

At the same library, projects that encourage reading among children and youth will be showcased, and there will be discussions with authors like Sara Rodi and Catarina Sobral about books that have impacted them.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will host events such as staged readings with participants including Inês Pupo, Gonçalo Pratas, Ana Maria Magalhães, and Isabel Alçada. An old itinerant library van from the foundation will be on site, offering children's and youth books for reading.

At the parliament, teenagers will conduct an interview with the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar Branco, and a youth assembly will be held to hear their concerns, including topics like free time activities, reading habits, and suggestions.

Moura-Carvalho emphasized, "We wanted a festival that isn't just passive, with actions, conversations, and events for children and youth, but one where they participate directly with questions and panels."

A key event, the Reading Party, is scheduled for the 26th on the steps of the Assembly of the Republic. Each young person is invited to bring a book, read it briefly, and exchange impressions with a stranger nearby.

At the Comuna Theatre, actor and director João Mota will discuss literature and theatre, while Pedro Miguel Ribeiro will perform a comedy show about books.

The Agora literary festival is an independent organization by the three programmers, run with "zero euros" and no support from the municipal council or ministries of Culture and Education, but in partnership with the Assembly of the Republic, the National Reading Plan, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.