Since I’ve been in Portugal my sleep schedule has been crazy. For example I found out tonight at dinner that time goes ahead here tonight so instead of being 4 hours ahead of the east coast we will now be 5 hours ahead. It is currently 3:15am as I began to write how my day has gone today (but I am just getting up because I fell asleep after dinner when I got home-that seems to be a pattern here).

This morning I left my residence at Casa Maya in Porto which I very much enjoyed and headed to the train station Campanhã to catch my train to Lisbon. Having the home station of Faria Guimarães right up the street from me is one of the reasons that that location worked out so well. At Campanhã it was very easy to tell which track by looking around was going to Lisbon as that one had the most people. This time I managed to board the right car and find my seat the first time.

I had a feeling I’d likely sleep on the train as I was in for a nearly 3 hour ride and with my sleep being so off I figured I could at least get some rest as I travel. Well sleeping on the train isn’t as comfortable and I woke up frequently as to make sure I didn’t miss my stop. The train was supposed to arrive in Lisbon a little before noon but was late in arriving and didn’t arrive until a little after 12:30pm. Mind you, my Black History Tour of Lisbon begins at 2pm so I thought getting in 2 hours early would be enough time but because we didn’t arrive on time I now had to rush.

I asked around to figure out where to get the bus I needed to catch and thankfully didn’t take too long trying to figure it out. I will say there seemed to be a big difference between Porto’s main train station and Lisbon’s as Porto’s seemed to be cleaner. As I waited for the bus I kept looking at the time and had a feeling I would probably be a little late getting to my tour as I still needed to drop my things off (and thank God I didn’t try to take them with me with all the walking and the route we ended up doing).

I had no issues once the bus came and was able to get off at my stop and meet my host Sofia who was waiting outside the building to help me. She helped me with my things and the elevator in the building I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen one so small for people. The maximum amount of people that could fit is two and in some cases in the US only 1 person would be able to fit (if you’re overweight).

Sofia showed me my room and around the apartment and it’s interesting because on the outside it looks small but she has a 4 bedroom apartment. She gave me my keys and showed me which one belonged where and how to turn them. I then took a quick moment to wash up and ordered an Uber because  via public transportation would take too long to get to my tour. That’s one thing that I’ve noticed so far, as far as the metro it doesn’t seem widely available in as many places as Porto (here in Lisbon maps has me taking the bus everywhere).

I arrived at my tour at 2:04pm and immediately began looking for a big group of black people because I figured that’d be my group. I went close to a nearby center to hop on wifi and connect with the guide who told me where to find them nearby (in the shade). Everyone had on headsets when I approached so I couldn’t hear what was being said until the guide Naky handed me one. The group was quite big maybe around 20 people.

As we walked around and Naky spoke I got the sense that it was re-emphasized how racist Portugal was and is as a country in regards to slavery. It was mentioned yet again how they were the main ones responsible for the transatlantic slave trade moving 6 million slaves. It’s been stated multiple times that Portugal refuses to acknowledge this and would rather avoid the topic or sweep it under the rug as if it never happened. Monuments and memorials you see all around the city but there’s no real representation/memorial of that time.

Naky talked about the church’s involvement with slavery and how many African people ended up in religion like those of European nations. This really made me think about all the unfavorable aspects that people often mention about religion specifically Christianity and it’s hypocrisy. I can understand more now after hearing and really listening why people feel so off putting when it comes to religion because it was forced upon them and those that claimed to be these saviours of beings in the name of God while doing some of the things they were doing would make one not want to really be a part of that.

I know the church has secrets but I never thought of how deep those secrets go and it makes me ashamed (not of me but of them because for me as a Christian that’s not what I represent or the implication I would want someone to have as a generalization of Christians). For Portugal to not want to really acknowledge slavery I find it interesting how proud they are of the colonies in which they colonized outside of Portugal in mostly African countries with the representation of shields (and I’ll include boats). I had no idea that this is one reason why Brazil has a lot of black people. I also find it interesting that the slaves Portugal purchased sent them elsewhere from Portugal (hence the seemingly small population of black people here).

Naky said there’s no census done to know the percentage of black people here but that Portugal is very racist and how black people do have their communities here but it’s not in the areas most visit.Here in Lisbon the street Largo De Sao Domincos is one of the few areas in the city in which black people have community. They meet, talk, sell products/goods throughout the day everyday, then packup and go home across town. Their neighborhoods are also heavily policed. Paulino José da Conceicão (a black man) was a significant part in the start of black people having  a sense of community and there’s a small statue along that street off to the side that was done by an association.

We were shown a metro map and Naky highlighted the black neighborhoods and it was at this point that he mentioned a fair tomorrow in a black neighborhood. A few of us agreed that we wanted to go and check it out so we took down the information. Next it was time to chill so we went to a Black owned bar and got a drink as we sat and talked. I met people from Baltimore, Florida, Houston, Germany, the UK, and more. Naky highlighted some prominent black people and their accomplishments here in Portugal.

We then went to the area where slaves were likely brought in by the water where the river and the ocean meet. Lastly we went to a street name Rua do Poco Dos Negros that had a few black owned businesses with one being called Mambo which is where the tour ended and dinner began. After looking at the menu I really didn’t see anything I wanted but decided to take a chance on a mustard/onion chicken dish that came with rice and spinach and I have to say it didn’t disappoint so here’s to another great meal. I topped it off with a ginger beer and shot of moonshine.

I think we spent about 2-3 hours there laughing, talking, eating and drinking and it was a good time. Naky made sure we went through 2 bottles as a table during our time there. We celebrated a birthday and each said something most being “I love black people.” We connected with each other on meeting up for the fair for those that want to go. The time came to say goodbye and I ubered back to the Airbnb versus taking the bus because the bus trip would be longer and now it’s dark.

As soon as I got in I changed clothes and just wanted to lie down for a moment. That very thing is what has gotten me in trouble so far and has thrown off my sleep. Upon waking up I see that we’ve shifted ahead an hour. Tomorrow was my free day and I knew I’d do something so I’m glad I have plans to see yet another part of town with some of the people I’ve met today.