India engaging with Lusophone World

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Lusophone

News Highlight

  • India prioritises engaging the Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking countries) world to maximise potential.

Key Takeaway

  • The Lusophone world is spread over nine countries across four continents, and Portuguese is the most widely-spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere.

India Connects with the Lusophone world.

  • About
    • The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in partnership with the  Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Government of Goa, is organising the International Lusophone Festival in Goa from 3-6 December 2022.
    • The festival seeks to further India’s connection with the Lusophone world.
    • Goa has had historical linkages with the Lusophone world.
    • It has grown due to the presence of Portuguese cultural institutions such as the Orient Foundation and the Camoes Institute.
    • It promotes the Portuguese language and culture in India.
    • This has strengthened our economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties with member countries of the Community of Portuguese Language (CPLC).

Lusophone World

  • What is Lusophone?
    • Lusophones are people who speak the Portuguese language, either as native speakers or as learners.
    • The Lusophone world consists of countries with Portuguese as their official language colonised by the Portuguese.
    • Portuguese is the world’s sixth most spoken language, with 270 million native speakers.
    • The Lusophone world is mainly a legacy of the Portuguese Empire.
    • The corresponding countries retain cultural and political affinities even after the empire’s demise.
    • It manifested itself in establishing the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLC) in 1996.

Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLC)

  • About CPLC
    • The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLC), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth, is a multilateral forum established on 17 July 1996.
    • The founding members were Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and Sao Tome e Principe, while Timor Leste and Equatorial Guinea joined later.
    • India joined CPLC as an associate observer in July 2021.
    • World Portuguese Language Day was observed in Delhi on May 5, 2022, as part of India’s involvement with CPLC, shortly after India joined CPLC.
    • India already offers training to all CPLC member states, except Portugal, under the ITEC and IAFS frameworks.
    • People-to-people connections will be improved by offering technical help and capacity-building support to CPLC countries.
    • India’s technology innovations in e-commerce, digital payment systems, and e-governance should be shared with CPLC nations for mutual gain.
  • The Soft Power of Science and Technology, Heritage and Culture
    • India’s constructed heritage and architecture bear the deep stamp of Portugal’s 451-year colonial rule.
    • It indicates a strong bond with other Portuguese colonies.
    • Numerous imposing forts, religious buildings, and colonial cities dot India’s western coast, bearing evidence of centuries of lusophone influence.
    • In 2006, the Association of the Portuguese-Speaking Olympic Associations accepted the Indian Olympic Association as a member.
    • Dozens of Portuguese-speaking football coaches and players
    • now work in India, Portugal and Brazil.
    • They play a tremendous role in developing the needed infrastructure and skills for Indian youth to excel globally.

Conclusion

  • The idea of a Lusophone partnership for India is gaining prominence, trilateral cooperation via “Portuguese-speaking niche diplomacy”.
  • It can help deepen India’s ties with the nine countries in the community.
  • Despite divergent foreign policy trajectories, India and Portugal currently have a tremendous opportunity to strategically frame their bilateral relationship in the context of the Portuguese-speaking countries and regions of influence.

Pic Courtesy: Indian Express

Content Source: Indian Express

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