Did you know that the Transatlantic Slave Trade was actually instigated by the Portuguese? In the 1400’s it was the Portuguese nobleman Prince Henry the Navigator who sent out the first expeditions to Sub-Saharan Africa to explore how far the Moor’s kingdom extended and in search of gold. The expeditions returned to Portugal with black, African slaves considered ‘compensation’ for the expense of their voyages.
There are six countries in Africa which were former Portuguese colonies in which Portuguese is still spoken. Those are: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe.
The Portuguese trafficked the majority of enslaved Africans to Portuguese colonies overseas, the largest of which was Brazil, or they were sold on to other trading European powers. Increased demand for slave labour in Portugal meant the black population increased, particularly in Lisbon and the Algarve, accounting for as much as 10% of the population. The two royal institutions responsible for handling Portugal’s slave trade were the Casa de Guiné and the Casa dos Escravos.
A fantastic example of the significant black presence in Portgual can be seen in the 16th century painting ‘Chafariz d’El-Rey’ by an unknown artist. In it we see black people in a number of scenarios and professions, including an Afro-Portuguese knight on a horse, widely believed to be João de Sá, nicknamed Panasco. João went from court jester to King John III of Portugal to being made a gentleman courtier of the Royal Household.
The African diaspora in Portugal grew again in the second half of the 20th century, when Portuguese colonies in Africa began to gain their independence. Social and economic inequalities and forced labour under Portuguese colonial rule led to a flourish of liberation movements in the 1950s and 60s, across Angola, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Cape Verde. These countries largely gained their independence in the mid-1970s. This prompted a wave of migration of Africans from former Portuguese territories to Portugal, to study, find work and establish a life in Europe.
By now there have been several generations of Afro-Portuguese, descended from African migrants, born on Portuguese soil. Sadly, racism remains a huge issue in Portugal, and many Afro-Portuguese are still regarded as being African rather than Portuguese, despite having lived in the country for generations, and being culturally assimilated. However, in spite of the obstacles, Afro-Portuguese activists and academics continue to address systemic racism in Portugal, and to expose a white-washing of Portuguese colonial history.