On the 13th of January, a performance show "I Came to See the Land: Travels with Maria Ondina Braga" took place at Teatro Circo de Braga, commemorating the centenary of the birth of the writer Maria Ondina Braga (1922-2022).

Through the dialogue between the words of Maria Ondina Braga and the sounds of Luís Pipa's piano, the Chinese harp (guzheng) and Lu Yanan's pi'pa, the luminous atmospheres of Mariana Figueroa and the images created in real time by the plastic artist João Alexandrino (JAS), it was proposed that the spectator travel through geographies, cultures, environments, emotions and sounds, following the writer's journey around the world. Of note was the world premiere of “Ondine”, an original composition, in five movements, by pianist Luís Pipa.

Luís Pipa's work included a fantasy about two plays by Debussy and Ravel, in addition to evoking the atmosphere of Ondina's hometown (Braga), the mysteries of the East, the splendor and roughness of Africa that the writer traveled through, her imaginative spirit and non-conformist and, also, his return to his origins, to childhood memories, to the slow farewell. Also noteworthy are the oriental sounds brought by Lu Yanan, including the interpretation of “Overlord disarmor”, an iconic piece for pi’pa that evokes the battle between the Chu and Han armies in 202 BC. The artistic direction and voice were in charge of the actor António Durães.

This show had the institutional support of the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of the North (CCDRN), Braga City Council and the Confucius Institute. And it had the scientific and cultural advice of the

Professors Isabel Cristina Mateus (UM/CEHUM) and Cândido Oliveira Martins (UCP/CEFH) were present at this cultural show, with free admission, as well as several students from the Catholic University of Portugal - Braga.