Macanese diaspora documentary to screen today

A documentary presenting the personal testimonies of the Macanese diaspora in North America will be presented to the Macau public today at the University of Macau (UM).

The project stems from the work of journalist and researcher Joaquim Magalhães de Castro, who traveled to several North American cities in late 2016 to collect the histories, experiences and testimonies of the Macanese who emigrated there.

As a result of this work, the International Institute of Macau began to prepare a series of videos about the Macanese diaspora in North America, including the experiences of those who lived during the troubled times of the invasion of northern China by the Japanese, the withdrawal of Macanese families from Shanghai, the subsequent Pacific War, and the occupation of Hong Kong.

The aim of this initiative is to preserve the memories of the Macanese communities spread throughout the world, according to the International Institute of Macau. It also serves to inform younger generations of the social changes that contributed to the great migratory flow of the Macanese to other parts of the world, and the reasons for their “displacement”.

The documentary, titled “Macaenses – an Odyssey (part one)”, was produced based on a script by Mariana Leitão Pereira, and completed by António Pinto Marques, with original music by well-known composer-musician Armando Santos, performed by Isabela Manhão Seto.

The documentary showing will be held at the UM’s Faculty of Business Administration today at 2:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.