Sadness in Alfama on a night usually full of joy, and ‘Decolonise’: anti-statue sentiment arrives in Lisbon
By the numbers
Only one person died from COVID-19 today, the fewest since March 19. Overall active cases (12,475) are still increasing slightly thanks to the somewhat elevated number of new cases being diagnosed every day. The daily increase has stabilised slightly since last week, but 91% of today’s new cases are still in the Lisbon and Tejo Valley region.
‘Our Alfama is sad. It makes you want to cry’
It just doesn’t feel like June this week in Lisbon. Even the weather seems to be agreeing. Nowhere is the change more obvious than in Alfama, where the streets should already be swelling with crowds to celebrate Santo António long into the night. We’ve already discussed the restrictions this week and the lack of sardines (which some of you might be thankful for) but now I’d like to share some personal stories courtesy of Diário de Notícias. Beyond the loss of one of the country’s best parties, the ban on arraias (like a festivity or fair) also has a financial impact for the families and cultural organisations used to setting up pop-up stalls selling everything from beer to sardines, bifanas and caldo verde.
A Varandinha da Tia Anita (Aunty Anita’s Little Verandah) can only welcome family and a few friends, instead of the customary pop-up bar that normally generates mountains of fun, and a little money. Police made it clear to Carlos Dias, who’s lived there for 40 years, that even a quick stop to grab a takeaway sardinha and cerveja wouldn’t be allowed. At the Magalhães Lima Cultural Centre, leaders were even told to take down their decorations, to avoid any temptation to crowd into the neighbourhood. Emília Carvalho, 74, brought four boxes of fresh sardines to the neighbourhood and could only sell one, despite the high quality and low prices.
“Our Alfama is sad, it makes you want to cry,” she said, echoing the thoughts of many. “There are no arraias; there is no joy. So many people were here; now there is nobody. At this time (in other years), there were tables everywhere; now it looks like a village.”
‘Decolonise’: Vandals target Lisbon statue
As Black Lives Matter protests have spread across the world, statues of racist and problematic historical figures have been defaced and ripped down in many countries. That sentiment has now made its way to Portugal through the vandalism of a statue of Father António Vieira, Público reports. The word “Descoloniza” (Decolonise) was written on the base of the figure and its hands, mouth and clergy habit tinged red on Thursday night. The statue, which stands in Largo Trindade Coelho in Bairro Alto and was previously subject to controversy when installed in 2017, when a group called Descolonizando (Decolonising) was blocked from laying flowers at the base of the statue by a far-right group. The protesters based they’re complaints on the trafficking of more than 6 million african slaves, with the collaboration of the church, labelling the priest a “selective slaver”. Alice Vieira, who is writing a biography of the priest aimed at children, labelled the vandalism “ignorant” saying there was no “reason at all” to consider the priest a slaver. “He always defended the slaves, always defended the indigenous,” she told Diário de Notícias. In many ways, Portugal is yet to fully reckon with its key role in the global slave trade, including the first European sale of kidnapped African slaves in the Algarve town of Lagos in 1444, as discussed in depth in this Politico article in English.
Portugal is the third-safest country in the world, and the safest in Europe
Portugal is the safest country in Europe again, according to the Global Peace Index, Diário de Notícias reports. Only Iceland and New Zealand rank higher globally in the 14th year of the scale, which is based on a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit measuring 23 factors including internal and external conflicts, safety and militarisation. It concluded the world had become a less safe place for the ninth time in the past 12 years.
In brief
More than 180,000 gained Portuguese citizenship in 2019. Israel entered the “top” three. (Público)
Government demands control of money injected into TAP. After Brussels’ endorsement of aid to TAP, the Infrastructure Minister of Infrastructure says the only thing left is a “yes” from private shareholders, who have to accept “monitoring”. (Público)
Three years after the Pedrogão tragedy, oversight body slams government efforts. Forest fires in 2017 caused more than a hundred deaths and burnt more than 400 thousand hectares of forest and plantations. (Público)
Centrist leader demands "a radical bet on our productive sectors, in the consumption of Portuguese products". (Diário de Notícias)
On a lighter note
After hearing from a lot of sad older Portuguese women, I think we should finish with a happy one. Ok, Filomenia Gouveia, hasn’t lived in Madeira since the 1970s but I’m sure she still considers herself to be Portuguese. She celebrated her 100th birthday in Sydney last month and thanks to Australia’s position in the Commonwealth, even got a letter from the Queen of England to celebrate. (Very late) parabens Filomenia!* Australian TV network SBS has a very cute video.
*Google will tell you happy birthday is feliz aniversario but that’s more Brazilian. Here it’s more common to just say parabens when someone faz anos (has a birthday. Literally, does years).