05/07/2024
I love . It helps us learn history, it helps us see things from different perspectives, it gives us lessons to contemplate in hopes of a kinder way of being. Whether a mosaic, painting or song it touches spaces within us which may have long become numb. Here are a few street art pieces which caught my attention in :
1. One person’s rubbish is another’s person’s treasure. It’s based Bo****lo II’s premise and intention of contributing to positive change in the world. calls himself an , as he is both an artist and an activist at heart.
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His idea consists of building art with the waste of consumerism, materialism and destructive elements in society, an energetic, sensitive and relevant message which helps raise awareness to the need of change in the unsustainable system in which we live.
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Using garbage to form sweet animals appeals to our deep sense of empathy towards helpless beings and victims of the evil behavior.
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For his individual exhibition, entitled , there is a call of attention to the negative sense of the evolution of humanity, hence the use of the pun “evil”, Bordalo II presents us with Panda in Rua de São Tomé.
2. The – an ALMOST bloodless coup led by General António de Spínola , who was dismissed from his position as deputy minister of the armed forces for being critical of Portugal’s right-wing regime at the time. Dissident officers who supported Spínola formed the MFA (Armed forces movement) and on 25 April 1974 – they brought down more than 40 years of dictatorship in Portugal and ended Europe’s longest-surviving authoritarian regime.
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Unlike many military coups, almost no shots were fired, except by the now overthrown regime killing 4 people. Red carnations were given to soldiers by the jubilant crowds to celebrate the overthrow of the government. The soldiers placed the flowers inside their guns and pinned them on their uniforms. Carnations soon became a symbol of the revolution and its success in bringing democracy to Portugal. ♥️🙏🏼
3. You can’t go to Portugal and not talk about , a melancholic form of music full of emotion; whether about the sea or fate of the poor, its ballads are sung deeply from the soul. , known as the queen of fado, was born in Lisbon, Portugal July 23rd, 1920 to a poor and numerous family. Since her childhood she showed a talent for singing although she debuted formally in 1939 at 19 years old, becoming a great popular success.
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When the “Revolução Dos Cravos” (“Carnation’s Revolution”) happened on April 25th, 1974 which finished 48 years of Fascist government in Portugal, rumors arose that Amália collaborated with the deposed government. Her fame was seriously affected and she decided to retire, but one year later, she acted in the Coliseu Theater of Lisbon where 5,000 people applauded her on foot, demonstrating that her public never released her.
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During her last years, Amália received countless tributes inside and outside of Portugal and suddenly died while she slept in her house of Lisbon on October 6th, 1999. With an impressive attendance of fans at her funeral ceremony, she now rests in the Panteón Nacional, in Lisbon, next to important figures of Portugal.
