TODOS Festival returns to Arroios

The event, promoted by Lisbon City Council and the Academy of Cultural Producers, runs until September 15, bringing to the capital a rich program that combines theater, dance, music, visits, exhibitions and international cuisine.

At the opening, the public was invited to share the "Sopa de Arroios", a creation by chef Joaquim Saragga, in collaboration with cooks of Bangladeshi and Indian origin, "symbolizing the meeting of flavours and cultures". The dish was conceived with spices from various latitudes, as a "gesture of unity between the various communities that inhabit the parish", reflecting the spirit of the festival.

"If the city doesn't belong to everyone, then it belongs to no one," says the TODOS manifesto. "Inspired by the enormous richness and human diversity of Arroios, let's allow listening and attention to the other to show us how Lisbon's vitality lies in this crossroads of hundreds of nationalities," declared the festival's organizers.

Since its creation in 2009, TODOS has aimed to "promote dialog between cultures and combat territorial ghettos", inviting the public to discover Lisbon's diversity.