French Lisbon – Observer
Precisely 70 years ago, Mirita Casimiro gave voice, in a revue theatre, to a song with music by Raul Ferrão and lyrics by José Galhardo, which was inspired by the example of patriotism that Portugal had shown in the face of the French invasion of 1807.
Today, we can question what sense it made, in 1952, to sing a patriotic appeal to resistance against France in a Europe burned by the Nazi war, which had destroyed, materially and morally, France. But, at the time, the heart of Portugal was more in tune with the idealization of the heroic Lusitanian past than with current affairs. In addition, the memory of the Napoleonic invasions was also an opportunity to enhance the values of Portuguese reality in the face of the strength of the image of Paris and France, centers of European cultural life for centuries, in particular, throughout the 20th century. XIX. The song praised Portuguese Lisbon, the natural values of which we should be proud and which, of course, did not detract from the intense light that came from Paris. As the saying goes, presumption and holy water, everyone takes what they want and, as we know, the appeal to parochialism always works well, whether in Lisbon, Paris or anywhere else in the world.
Mirita Casimiro did not record the song. This would only happen two years later due to the incomparable voice of Amália Rodrigues. With Lisbon is not Frencha hymn of patriotic joy will be born, which, along with another song by the same authors – fado Coimbrainternationally known as Avril au Portugal – Amália will become pillars of our musical memory. Great Amália, great is her legacy.
This simple historical reference comes from the movement that we are witnessing now in the 20th century. XXI, with peaceful French citizens looking for an atmosphere of peace that allows them to enjoy life or that provides them with working conditions in a “nomadic” way. The atmosphere found in Portugal, which he thought he had momentarily lost in his homeland, allows them to rediscover the joy of living despite the differences between France and Portugal, whether in the competition of costumes or in the means available.
What is at the base of this movement of people? Tax benefits offered by Portugal, at a time of tightening, to foreign affluents? Yes, but not only. France has been occupied in recent years – some even say conquered – by an aggressive hostility, foreign in values and behavior, and from which a succession of attacks and murders has arisen that have profoundly disturbed the relationship of the French with their environment. An invasion that relies on an intrusive and authoritarian religion, with no respect for others they call infidels. In France today, freedom of opinion on matters of religion is sometimes paid for with one’s life.
Seeking a means of tranquility and safe coexistence is undoubtedly a reason that weighs heavily on many French people. In addition to the reality of open conflict brought about by immigration, the traditional aggressiveness of the native Celts is added, which Julius Caesar already considered to be “Roosters” due to their macho and choleric behavior. We are all aware of the yellow vest movement, which, emerging as a popular response to the increase of a few cents in the cost of urban violence, put the entire country at the mercy of urban violence for months. The discovery that people live surrounded by violence acted as a warning sign and constituted proof that the environment had become toxic. So why not benefit from a tax break in the Atlantic, a two-hour flight from home?
France is not the only source of citizens looking for peace, as Brazilians, Americans and others flock to our country in large numbers in search of the security they do not see in their own lands. The French who have discovered us in recent years have settled in Campo de Ourique, Santos, Príncipe Real, Bairro Alto, around the Sé Cathedral or in several other neighborhoods in Lisbon. The urban effect is immediately visible, with food stores and restaurants reformatting themselves for this new clientele looking for the quality they were used to. Which means, in Lisbon, more jobs. But the impact in terms of real estate is greater: we must not forget the decadent and ruined Lisbon, which gave way to renovated neighbourhoods, new construction or rehabilitated. When you hear murmurs about the disastrous effect of foreigners on house prices, it is worth bearing in mind what Lisbon (and Porto) was before this invasion it protected, and the gains obtained by owners, contractors, construction workers, material suppliers, architects and decorators. It was a job that fed many families in recent years, but that the extremes of the political spectrum olympicly despised, opting to manifest nostalgic and parochial reflexes, which take comfort from past maxims of the genre, we are poor, but happy.
So far, living together has been fruitful and distressing for all. But as nothing is eternal, it is worth paying attention. Nationalist anti-foreigner reactions, even towards those who bring the capital we don’t have and we don’t have goals of conquest, are beginning to have an echo, albeit timid, in the political parties of the center. It’s a populist tic that’s easy to fall into and hard to break. The reasons why we are appreciated can disappear. We should not, for example, take branded clothes for granted, which make us naturally able to live together in peace, a quality that foreigners who have settled in Portugal so much appreciate. The problem is that we weren’t always like this and at various times in our history there were no uniforms, as happened between 1828 and 1834, in the civil war between Absolutists and Liberals to which we sanguinarily surrendered. Nor during the First Republic between 1910 and 1926, where political violence in the streets was not far behind what we see in Paris. Not to mention the treatment that the SEF has given at the airport, in the recent past, to undocumented foreigners. Mild costumes perhaps, but largely due to the pressure that Salazar exerted on Lusitanian behavior. Memories that, among others, are lost in time. In order not to spoil what we have, it would be good to know what we want and what we are looking for. One day we may miss you.
But the risk of rupture in this romance between the Portuguese and the French also comes from the French side. There are more and more insistent complaints about the scams they have been subject to in the purchase of poorly rehabilitated houses with construction and stability problems. How was it possible that city council services, so helpful in caring for their bureaucracy, because of their useless flashy appearances, have been assisted by mute people and fallen into this reality? Where is the regulation for the sale of old or rehabilitated houses? Is it so incompetence?
And then there’s the kind of life we have to offer here. What does it mean for an affluent French person to leave Paris and move to Lisbon? Eça de Queiroz took the trouble to explain to us what happened to Jacinto, the hero of the book The City and the Mountains, when, at the end of the century. In the 19th century, he left Paris to settle in an idyllic place in the Douro. The story of the book is too well known to be necessary to retell it and, as in many of the incorporations that Eça left us, its reading is immune to the effect of time. What is a fact today is that, for those who live in Paris and are in the habit of frequently going to a Classical Music Concert, an Opera, a Painting Exhibition or the Theatre, the panorama in Lisbon causes some chills. It is true that we have the Gulbenkian which offers a few concerts throughout the year and an opera house which, in its beautiful building, hosts half a dozen performances per year, which are done without great resources. But comparing the cultural life of Lisbon with that of Paris – or any major city in France – reveals an abysmal gap. It is true that Jacinto de Eça did not have the internet in 1900, which today has radically changed the concept of relocation. But not everything is virtual.
In this panorama, what do the French who chose Lisbon to live in? Because they organize themselves, invite musician friends to play in Portugal, open Art Galleries, support Music Festivals in the interior, organize Theater sessions and Film Cycles. And, suddenly, cultural life in Portugal takes on unexpected dimensions. But all this can prove to be ethereal and not succeed. We should be attentive, take advantage of the balance and try to provide the necessary support. Because the effect of this cosmopolitan presence is not exclusively economic. Lisbon and Porto today count as inhabitants, writers, artists, creators, managers – many with global recognition and influence – available to share their intangible heritage with those who welcome them so well.
The moment we live in Lisbon of international conviviality has happened a few times in our History. It took place at the time of the Discoveries or when we were, for one reason or another, at the center of the world’s paths, as in the period of the Second World War. But that Lisbon is not just what we hear the answer to in the film Casablanca; the answer to the question of what was so special about Lisbon was, remember, “the plane to America”🇧🇷