Image: Air Migration Privé by René Tavares. Artwork on display at the Angolan Art Gallery Movart

"Right now, the artistic production of Africa is sparking great interest, and Portugal is an important platform to access the continent," she said at a press conference in the Lisbon city council to present this year's edition, which will be taking place from 16 to 19 May.

There will be 71 Portuguese and international galleries taking part in ARCOlisboa - the spinoff in Portugal of Spain’s leading art fair - including six from Africa.

The new special section ‘Africa in Focus’, curated by Paula Nascimento, will count with six galleries: Afriart (Kampala, Uganda), Arte de Gema (Maputo, Mozambique), Jahmek (Luanda, Angola), Momo (Cidade do Cabo, South Africa), Movart (Luanda, Angola), and This is not a White Cube (Luanda, Angola).

Co-organised by IFEMA (Fair of Madrid) and the Lisbon city council, the event will present galleries from 17 different countries at Cordoaria Nacional museum.

Lisbon's councillor for culture Catarina Vaz Pinto highlighted "Portugal's privileged position in being linked with Africa, which Madrid doesn't have, and which Lisbon can give it access to."

There will also be conferences on African contemporary art, with curators like Raphael Chickukwa and Azu Ngagbogu participating.

Following an agreement signed with IFEMA and Lisbon city council, the municipality has been supporting the fair with €180,000 last year, €165,000 this year and €150,000 forecast for 2020, Vaz Pinto told Lusa.

The secretary of state for culture, Ângela Ferreira, told reporters the he Directorate-General for the Arts would support the fair with €15,000 this year.

"ARCOLisboa has given contemporary art in Portugal very important dynamics," she said.

As in previous years, the fair will be laid out in three areas: General Programme featuring 52 galleries, Opening featuring nine and Projects, also featuring nine galleries.

The event will have 24 galleries from Portugal, 24 from Spain and two from Brazil, as well as others from the UK, Romania, Italy, Poland and France.