Thousands in Lisbon celebrated the 50th anniversary on Thursday of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, which toppled the longest fascist dictatorship in Europe and ushered in democracy. The almost bloodless revolution was conducted by a group of junior army officers who wanted democracy and to put an end to long-running wars against independence movements in African colonies Source link
At 4am on 25 April 1974, Filipe Villard Cortez got the signal. He barricaded the door of the Monte Real air base commander’s room and cut his phone line. A few hours earlier, Portugal’s Carnation Revolution had begun. Cortez was 21 at the time, a commissioned air force officer who wanted the democratisation of Portugal and the end of its colonial rule. In the weeks before the revolution, he had become involved in meetings with the Armed Forces Movement (MFA) – the group that instigated the military coup that toppled Portugal’s authoritarian Estado Novo regime, ending its war to prevent independence in Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. Filipe Villard Cortez in the early 1970s. Photograph: Guardian Community After Cortez stationed soldiers at the commander’s door, air force generals contacted the base, instructing the squad to fly over Lisbon. “We refused, saying there was fog, which was totally bogus – an air raid would have destroyed half of Lisbon. I think then the generals pretty much realised it was a lost situation,” remembered Cortez, now 71 and …
LISBON (Reuters) – President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said late on Tuesday that Portugal was responsible for crimes committed during transatlantic slavery and the colonial era, and suggested there was a need for reparations. For over four centuries, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported long distances by mainly European ships and merchants, and sold into slavery. Those who survived the voyage ended up toiling on plantations in the Americas, mostly in Brazil and the Caribbean, while others profited from their labour. Portugal trafficked nearly 6 million Africans, more than any other European nation, but has failed so far to confront its past and little is taught about its role in transatlantic slavery in schools. Instead, Portugal’s colonial era, during which countries including Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, Cape Verde and East Timor as well as parts of India were subjected to Portuguese rule, is often perceived as a source of pride. Photos You Should See – April 2024 Speaking at an event with foreign correspondents late on Tuesday, Rebelo de Sousa said Portugal “takes …
After years of fighting colonial wars in Africa, on 25 April 1974 a coup by the Movimento das Forças Armadas (Armed Forces Movement) in Portugal marked the end to Europe’s longest-lasting dictatorship. The country moved towards democracy in what was an almost bloodless transition, with the Carnation Revolution getting its name from flowers being offered to soldiers and placed in the muzzles of their guns. Following last month’s elections the far-right party, Chega, made huge gains quadrupling its parliamentarians from 12 to 48. “It was one of those great ironies of history. Just short of 50 days before the 50th anniversary of the Portuguese revolution, which toppled an almost 50-year dictatorship, the nation woke up to nearly 50 newly elected far-right lawmakers in parliament,” said Joana Ramiro. We would like to hear your memories of the Carnation Revolution ahead of its 50th anniversary. What was it like and how has it affected you? Are you commemorating it in any way? We’re also interested in hearing people’s experiences of Portugal today. Share your memories and experience …
Portugal has been among Europe’s more ambitious countries in terms of climate action, but the rise of the far right in recent elections could threaten the positive steps the country has taken. At the end of 2023, Portugal broke records as it went for six consecutive days relying solely on renewable energy. But national elections in March this year marked a significant shift in the political landscape, with the far-right party Chega (Enough) making a major breakthrough. Having more than quadrupled its number of MPs from 12 to 50, Chega holds considerable sway in the 230-seat parliament, where it could influence legislation. Although it won the election, the centre-right Democratic Alliance, led by the new prime minister, Luis Montenegro, won only 80 seats, while the centre-left Socialist party, which has governed Portugal for the past eight years, secured 78. In June, European citizens cast their votes for the new European parliament. There have been predictions of the far right aligning with traditional rightwing factions, posing a threat to climate and environmental policies. Chega had hoped …
In musical terms, Portugal’s entry for the final of the Eurovision song contest on 6 April 1974 was not what you would typically call a success. E Depois do Adeus (And After the Goodbye), performed by Paulo de Carvalho, with lyrics by José Niza, came joint last with Norway, Germany and Switzerland, narrowly avoiding an embarrassing nul points and only slightly redeemed by the fact that the winning song that year was nothing less catchy than Abba’s Waterloo. But while De Carvalho would not go on to enjoy chart-topping glory like his better-known Swedish counterparts, E Depois do Adeus left a different kind of legacy – just a few weeks later, it changed the course of history. By 1974, the situation within the Portuguese military had reached breaking point. Portugal was in its 13th year of fighting a colonial war on three African fronts, forcing the authoritarian, ultra-nationalist Estado Novo regime to sink increasingly untenable levels of manpower into maintaining control. Paulo de Carvalho singing E Depois do Adeus, Portugal’s 1974-Eurovision song contest entry, which …
MADRID (Reuters) – Portugal’s new prime minister told his Spanish counterpart on Monday his country will “not go as far” as Spain in its plan to recognise a Palestinian state without a concerted European Union approach. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has visited several countries in the past few days on a diplomatic campaign to garner support for the initiative, reiterated his plan to recognise Palestinian statehood in the coming months. But Luis Montenegro, who met Sanchez in Madrid, said that while Portugal will support a full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state in an upcoming General Assembly vote, it would wait for the EU to work out a common stance on the matter before moving forward. War in Israel and Gaza “We don’t go as far as other governments… because we maintain that understanding must be built on a multilateral basis within the European Union and the United Nations,” Montenegro told reporters. Both leaders called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza where death toll from Israel’s offensive to rout out Hamas has been …
The route was carefully planned to include stops in places that involved good food (the carrot to drive us on during long hours behind the wheel), were culturally interesting and, of course, accepted dogs. European hotels, in general, have always been less dog-friendly than in the UK, but with glorious ease our journey came together. It was in spite of setting off on day two in the pouring rain before dawn, guided by Google, and taking my husband into an incredibly narrow street which became impassable. As we, inch by painful inch, reversed our way up and out of the winding medieval alley, I did think of Hemmingway’s words ‘Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.’ But our marriage survived and road trips might just become ‘our thing’ for the feeling of freedom they engender. Source link
LONDON (AP) — Find a globe in your local library or classroom and try this: Close the eyes, spin it and drop a finger randomly on its curved, glossy surface. You’re likely to pinpoint a spot in the water, which covers 71% of the planet. Maybe you’ll alight on a place you’ve never heard of — or a spot that no longer exists after a war or because of climate change. Perhaps you’ll feel inspired to find out who lives there and what it’s like. Trace the path of totality ahead of Monday’s solar eclipse. Look carefully, and you’ll find the cartouche — the globemaker’s signature — and the antipode ( look it up ) of where you’re standing right now. In the age of Google Earth, watches that triangulate and cars with built-in GPS, there’s something about a globe — a spherical representation of the world in miniature — that somehow endures. London globemaker Peter Bellerby thinks the human yearning to “find our place in the cosmos” has helped globes survive their original purpose …
They can be sacred, space-like, healing or heart-shaped – and anywhere on Earth. Even war can’t get between people and natural springs, as Greta Rybus shows in her latest photobook Continue reading… Source link
