Portugal we have to talk. Portugal was the LAST country to ban the trans-Atlantic slave trade (and the largest trader). Over 40% of Portuguese don't know this and think it was one of the FIRST to ban the trade. This is NO ACCIDENT. 1/18
40% comes from a poll I did on Twitter. I also asked my non-Portuguese followers. Only 20% of them made the same mistake. YES - non Portuguese are over 2x more likely to know a basic fact about Portuguese history. Why? 2/18
Portugal was the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader the world has known, and Portugal was a key center of the trade in Europe. But walking in Lisbon you would never know this. This history has been completely (and intentionally) erased. 3/18
The only monument to slave history in Lisbon is this statue. What do you see? A (white) Portuguese mother with her child pointing up at the general? What does this have to do with slavery? Look again 4/18
That mother is meant to be an African slave. Here is who she is modeled after. Didn't notice? Don't worry I walked by this for 2 years, and never did. You can see the small chain around her leg. This is the perfect metaphor for Portugal dealing with its slave history. 5/18
The sculptor wanted to honor the general who banned the slave trade. But the slave can't look African. And keep the chain small so as not to distract from the main message: honoring the general. Acknowledge the bad only only as it is necessary to tell the story our way. 6/18
That 1884 statue is the closest Lisbon has come to any public monument acknowledging slavery. It's not only that there is no monument, in a city quite literally built by slaves. But the Portuguese education system was designed to side-step/white-wash the unpleasant parts. 7/18
Colonization is "the discoveries" Slavery is discussed selectively, portraying Portugal in a better light. Remember my poll, over 40% thought Portugal was one of the first to end slavery. This isn't an accident. Most PT people tell me this. There is a part-truth here: 8/18
Quite 'early', in 1761 Portugal banned slaves from *coming to Portugal (not slavery). But this was for racist and economic reasons, as the proclamation clearly states: 1) Prevent 'debaucherous' blacks from coming to Portugal 2) Direct slaves towards Brazil instead 9/18
This ban was not humanitarian (and it didn't end slavery anywhere in Portugal/its colonies). But it is taught as a keystone of Portuguese slave history. Oddly, anyone could just read the proclamation themselves to dispel the myth. 10/18
Portugal (applies to other countries too): We have to stop this shameful lying about the past to make ourselves feel better. This isn't just about the truth (although that should be enough). But these 'comforting myths' are devastating us, and will continue to do so: 11/18
Earlier this year two things happened in Lisbon: (1) A black man was murdered in broad daylight by a racist white man. (2) A statue of a racist priest was defaced with the words "decolonize" On my social media I saw silence about (1) and a wave of outrage about (2) 12/18
Some details about the statue: it was erected in 2017 and was protected in its inauguration by nazi skinheads. Yes, this is the climate here. And I understand it. If I had grown up here and been taught the comforting myths about Portugal's past, I would absolutely.... 13/18
... not understand how anyone could question the righteousness of the priest in this statue. Because the story of Portugal and Africa is the story of a benevolent empire on a humanitarian mission. There is no racism in this story. There are heroes and there are "others". 14/18
So I get why some weren't outraged by the racist murder, but were outraged by the statue. But if Portugal continues to deny its history, there will be more ugly clashes in the future. Because the truth isn't going to stay buried forever, and neither will people stay silent 16/18
That 2017 statue is a symbol of a fictitious past. Defacing it was like scratching at the thinly-veiled myth that Portugal hides behind. It is no wonder this act triggered deep and angry reactions, that are about much more than the statue itself. 17/18
Portugal (and others) could replace its symbols of a false past with monuments to the truth. And it needs to teach the real history: good and bad. Only then can a process of healing begin. And I believe this healing is critical to patching the divisions the country faces 18/18
Tweet appendix: Poll is based on N=100. My Portuguese twitter followers are left wing and educated. As a commenter noted, 40% likely dramatically underestimates the true % of those with incorrect knowledge. Timeline of slave trade can be found here:
cambridge.org/core/books/tra…
Finally, Lisbon is expected to have a slave memorial (finally) in the future. This is a good step in the right direction (and one which caused a scandal of its own).
I want to also thank Naky who runs a tour on Lisbon's African roots for teaching me about this statue. If you are in Lisbon I highly recommend the tour, especially if you live here.
airbnb.com/experiences/20…
