Latest news and stories about historical context in Portugal for expats and residents.
The city evidently has a historical relationship with the Atlantic slave trade and the Portuguese Empire. However, it cannot be reduced to that, nor treated as the sanctuary of a cult of shame.
Historical memory does not serve to hide the difficulties of the present, but to prevent the instrumentalisation of the past.
Throughout much of history, slavery was a cross-cutting phenomenon, not exclusive to any one race or continent. The current danger is not just forgetting the past, but rewriting it selectively.
In these days when there is so much talk about the Strait of Hormuz, it may be worth remembering those obscure beginnings of the 16th century when Portugal began its conquest and oppression beyond its borders.
Forty years ago, Marinha Grande was the scene of an incident that proved decisive for Mário Soares's campaign. Today the municipality is going through another crisis and few can focus on the presidential election.
Portugal and Spain signed the EEC accession treaties on 12 June 1985 and became full members on 1 January 1986.
