"Fado is Much Older...
Than you think"

CONFERENCE - WEDNESDAY 14TH OCTOBER 2009
VENUE: National Archaeology Museum (Lisbon)

Mr Ivo Rato, Anthropologist and Lusitanian Authority presented his extensive research about
Celtic mythology
connected to the warriors of the past via the oldest fertility ritual - FADO, FANDANGO and FAENA.

Emilia was chosen to be the Voice of Lusitania (A Voz Da Lusitania), discovered by promoter
Mr Robert V Jones because of her ability at channelling his poetry into Fado.

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UPDATE, 20th OCTOBER 2009

The Celtic Culture Seminar staged by Mr Ivo Rato and Robert V. Jones at Portugal’s NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY was a great experience for all involved.

We did expect several hundred, but on this same night (October the 14th), The Portugal National Team was playing in a qualifier for the World Cup next year (2010 in South Africa) and every male football fan watched this event live and on TV. This appears to be the reason our seminar attracted fifty patrons with a high percentage (65%) of elderly women – all high powered academics, with most of them making notes for the entire one and a half hours of Mr Rato’s delivery.

As is always the case, he held their undivided attention the entire seminar. No notes, no prompters as he scans thousands of years of their Celtiberian and Lusitanian Celtic Culture without ever faltering. Including the many Gaelic linguistic connections to all of Portugal’s major place-names, ancient Celtic ‘sacred sites’ and even the numerous Celtic language interpretations within ‘their’ Portuguese language – as he always does – he left them spell bound.

One of Portugal’s most famous and my favorite Matador, Mário Coelho (Mario recently wrote a top selling auto biography about his life as a Matador which he titled ‘Silver to Gold’ – sound familiar?) had lent us his actual ‘GOLD’ dress suit that he wore to kill bulls in the arenas of Spain and Mexico in his hey day. We had placed it on display in a large glass show case with my white training uniform along with a plain Black Belt and my personal Eighth Degree Black Belt with its wide Red Centre. I felt the fascination from all present as he read the iconography connection of ‘our’ martial arts to the Fiona warriors (Known today as Matadors) off both the interior and exterior panels of the Cauldron - the most famous Celtic artifact commonly referred to as being, the Holy Grail of all Celts. Of course he told that old favorite Lusitanian war story of ours…

He made reference and described the difference in experience, knowledge and abilities between the young new (Nameless) Black Belt hanging intertwined with my older 8th Degree Belt. And then he told them this story of antiquity about the young warrior (In his mid-twenty’s) coming to the Celtiberian Peninsula during the time of Viriato, with the intention of making an instant reputation for himself. Convinced he could defeat and kill the wise old Celtic Chief (In his late eighty’s). “I am here to challenge you to a fight to the death old man, do you dare to take up my offer?” was asked in a powerful youthful voice loud enough to be heard throughout the entire village.

By the time the Old Master had explained in a quiet calm tone that the young warriors question was reason enough for the fight to have begun… the young warrior laid motionless on the ground – very dead already!

EMILIA - A Voz Da LusitaniaGreat questions from such intellectuals receiving such explicit answers that left no recourse for argument or even mild disagreement – had them all realizing, he knows his stuff! From a slightly late start (Just after 8pm) until 9.30, and from then until 11.0pm we entertained with a night of Fado with special guests and of course, Emilia! Finishing off this most enjoyable evening, after Fado came Fandango/Faena which was presented by some fabulous dancers from the leading dance Apollo Academy in Lisboa, and they almost stole the show!

Next on our agenda is our first Martial Arts Musical Presentation Special at the Benfica Museum Restaurant at the National Benfica Football Stadium in Lisbon, by the end of this month, October 31st… come on back and check us out. Hope you enjoy the rest of my personal site as you follow the journey, I must add a thank you here to Michael Kenna for the fabulous job he is constantly doing putting all of this together – along with everything else he is doing while I’m away on my World wide search and adventure for my 9th Degree. And to all of you assisting Michael in my absence – thank you to, all of you.