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| The posters of this year's festivals in Portugal and Greece: Festa do Avante! and the 46th KNE-Odigitis Festival. |
Despite pressure and efforts by reactionary bourgeois political forces to postpone this year’s “Festa do Avante” due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) has decided to proceed to the organisation of the festival, ensuring that all the necessary health measures will be taken.
In a statement, the PCP provide solid answers to its critics about the festival’s organisation. The governmental decree on summer festivals and similar activities stresses out that they can be carried out as long as they comply with the necessary health rules and obligations. “The attack on the party is just an expression of the reactionary forces’ long-standing objective: to question the exercise of political rights and more particularly the activity of the PCP and unions”, points out an article of the Party titled “Why we organize the Avante Festival”.
Under the current circumstances, the Festa do Avante – the greatest political festival in Portugal with a long tradition – consists a unique chance for workers, young men and women, people from all over Portugal to gather and share their collective experience on daily struggle.
The 2020 Avante Festival is scheduled to take place on 4-5-6 September in Quinta da Atalaia, in Seixal. The list of artists who will participate in this year’s festivities includes Xutos e Pontapés, Mão Morta, Capicua, Lena d'Água, Marta Ren, Camané and Mário Laginha, Dead Combo, Blasted Mechanism, Scúru Fitchádu, Dino D'Santiago, Stereosaur, Aldina Duarte and Peste e Sida, among others.
The 46th KNE-Odigitis Festival
Under the slogan “Socialism, so that we can “breath”, so that life wins”, the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) organizes this year’s 46th KNE-Odigitis Festival. With all the necessary health measures taken, the festival begins this its journey throughout Greece this month, with events held in various cities.
On 10, 11 and 12 September, the festival is scheduled to take place in Thessaloniki, with numerous cultural and political events, including a speech by the General Secretary of the CC of KNE Nikos Abatielos.
Like every year, the festivities will reach their peak during a three-day political and cultural event at “Antonis Tritsis Park” in Athens, on 17, 18 and 19 of September. For the protection of the visitors and participants, the park’s premises will be formed accordingly, while KNE will take all the necessary measures of health protection (social distancing, antiseptic material, regular cleaning, etc).
The rich cultural programme of the 46th KNE-Odigitis Festival in Athens includes concerts dedicated to renowned composers Mikis Theodorakis, Thanos Mikroutsikos, Giorgos Zampetas, etc, with the participation of some of the most popular Greek artists such as George Dalaras, Maria Farantouri, Manolis Mitsias, Vasilis Papakonstantinou, Miltos Paschalidis, Christos Thivaios, Natassa Bofiliou, Eleni Tsaligopoulou, Dimitris Basis, Glykeria, Pantelis Thalassinos, etc.
The festival will end on Saturday 19 September with a large political event addressed by the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas.
