“Portugal has numerous sites that recall the country’s involvement in the Atlantic trade of enslaved peoples. Nonetheless, the memorialization of those places has not been a concern. A combination of factors explains this absence of memorial sites, contributing to the minimizing of the role played by the country in the trade of enslaved African peoples.”
“Having in mind the situation in other countries, namely in the United Kingdom, home to the International Slavery Museum, how can we explain this lack of memorial sites in Portugal? In order to answer this question, it is necessary to understand that the Portuguese expansion, during which the Atlantic trade of enslaved African peoples emerged, continues to be viewed in a positive light, even today.”
“This understanding is by large an outcome of the instrumentalization of the history of expansion by the different Portuguese political regimes throughout the centuries. One of the most striking instrumentalizations took place during the Estado Novo (New State) right-wing dictatorship that ruled Portugal between 1933 and 1974. Even after almost fifty years of democracy, Portuguese maritime expansion continues to be evoked by politicians as a reference, namely in public events. Examples are countless, but it is worth mentioning that when Portugal organized the 2004 European Football Championship, both the opening and closing ceremonies featured caravels, the symbol of Portuguese expansion.” (see Marcas de Lusotropicalismo no Marcelo, De-Re-Memorization of Portuguese Colonialism and Dictatorship)
“The absence of memorial sites relating to the Atlantic trade of enslaved African peoples may also be said to reflect the almost non-existent debate in Portuguese society regarding the country’s role in expansion, colonialism, and decolonization. Some commentators, scholars, and left-wing politicians occasionally bring the subject to public attention, but it remains largely outside of the main concerns of Portuguese society. The little debate that does exist is sometimes fuelled by events from other countries, such as apologies for colonial-era massacres, the removal of monuments associated with the colonial past, and the restitution of museum artifacts illegally taken from the colonies.” (see Peça Desculpas, Senhor Presidente - Luca Argel)
“This limited debate is coupled with the fact that the history of Portuguese expansion, colonialism, and decolonization remains misunderstood by the majority of the population. The academic curriculum in Portuguese schools does not offer a global understanding that examines how the country engaged in the trade of enslaved peoples, forced labour, massacres, and many other forms of violence inflicted upon the populations Portugal once dominated. Students have a curriculum that remains largely concerned with a one-sided perspective, without acknowledging the multiple dimensions of the country’s participation in expansion, colonialism, and decolonization.”