April 17, 2014

The songs of the Portuguese Carnation Revolution



Portugal's Radio Renascença played a folk song called Grândola Vila Morena at 25 minutes past midnight on Thursday, 25 April 1974 - Fair town of Grândola, land of fraternity, the people is the one who rules most within you, city.

For more than a hundred army officers that song was was the signal they were waiting to start the move to Lisbon in their military vehicles. (If you take a look at 25 April Revolution footage and photos you’ll see these vehicles on the streets of Lisbon with soldiers on top and then civilians. A “chaimite” is a light armored personnel carrier vehicle. It debuted in 1967 and performed at Portuguese Colonial War. This Portuguese-designed combat vehicle was developed to meet the requirement of the Portuguese armed forces by the Portuguese company Bravia.)

This was a song from Zeca Afonso. This composer/singer and songwriter is aclaimed for his folk/social intervention and protest music.

But 90 minutes earlier the radio station played the first agreed signal, another song called E depois do adeus.(After Good-bye) This song was Portugal's 1974 entry in the Eurovision song contest in Brighton. The singer Paulo de Carvalho had also no idea that his song would become so famous and a symbol of the revolution.

Grândola Vila Morena - a creative and revolutionary protest in Parliament February 2013.

The parliamentary debate saw an intervention by 20 people from a social movement called Que se lixe a troika. They sang Grândola and interrupted Prime Minister. He said: "of all the ways work might be interrupted, this would seem to be in the best possible taste." Last year, 38 years after the Carnation Revolution, the former soldiers who made it happen did not take place in official celebrations at the Parliament. Instead, they choose to participate in a demonstration on the streets of Lisbon. They joined a protest against the economic crisis and the austerity measures adopted by the government of Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho. The conservative government of Passos Coelho is still aiming to reduce the fiscal deficit, a condition imposed by the "troika" of creditors - the International Monetary fund (IMF), the EU and the European Central Bank (ECB) - that approved a 110-billion dollar financial bailout for Portugal in 2011. How? Everybody says that he's killing April's conquests. We are facing pay and pension cuts, more tax imposition, the possible end of free universal public healthcare. Prices for natural gas, electricity, fuel, transport are rising. Now it's easier to hire and fire workers. Unemployment benefits were reduced also, among other measures.

Grândola Vila Morena sung by huge crowd (Porto demonstration, March 2013)

 


Music and movies inspired by the Carnation Revolution! If you want to go shopping I found these for you at Amazon's store!



Capitaes De Abril - April Captainsby  Antonio Victorino D' Almeida
Original soundatrack of the movie with the same name. Curiosity: the composer is the father od the director Maria de Medeiros.
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Capitaes De Abril (Widescreen Edition)
Portuguese movie with subtitles in English.The film pays tribute to the men that plotted the coup. The script could be better. Still it's a nice way to learn about Captain Salgueiro Maia deeds and Portuguese Carnation revolution.
Buy Now



Portugal's Revolution: Ten Years On by Hugo Gil Ferreira, Michael W. Marshall
Major socio-political study of the fate of Portugal in the decade since the coup d'état.Buy Now



Vivo: 50 Anos De Carreira
A romantic concert! Paulo de Carvalho will be forever connected to the history of the country. But there's more to the artist than the song E depois do adeus!
Live concert from 2010 at Fundação Oriente when he was celebrating 50 th year of his career. In this record Paulo de Carvalho revisits some of his most iconic themes.
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José Afonso - ao vivo no Coliseu
The one and great recorded concert with Zeca Afonso. Lisbon Coliseum.January 1983. The author of Grândola Vila Morena was already very sick when he performed. He died 4 years later. Memorable!
Buy Now
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April 16, 2014

Why did Carnation Revolution take place?



Hello friends and Zazzlers!

Here I am with a few more facts about Carnation Revolution. I don't know if you're fond of history. I am! So, why did this revolution take place?

- Civil liberties and political freedoms were inexistent.

- People could not assembly or make a demonstration or create freely. Just an example of someone who likes movies, me! Foreign movies could not be dubbed, only subtitled. The subtitles were more easily adjusted by the censors if they disapproved the original dialogues.

- The "blue pencil" was a symbol of censorship. Censors used a blue pencil to make cuts of any text, image or design that should not be published in the press. Books were seized.

- The people were tired of the oppressive government. Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado or P.I.D.E. (International State Defence Police) was a wide network that spread its tentacles throughout Portugal and its overseas territories.

- The police encouraged citizens to denounce suspicious activities against it. These men and women were called bufos (snitches). Everyone lived in fear. Private, social and professional life was under constant surveillance.

- The prison of Tarrafal was created in the Portuguese colony of Cape Verde. It was the destination for those political prisoners considered dangerous by the regime. Tarrafal was known for its severe methods of torture. More than 30 persons were killed there. It was a real concentration camp.

No one managed to escape this concentration camp. It was called Campo da morte lenta - Camp of the slow death. Tarrafal was a place for the physical elimination of antifascist prisoners, through abuse, punishments, and diseases. When the prisoners arrived at the concentration camp they were housed in canvas tents. For two years they underwent authentic forced labor to built the accommodation for soldiers under the hot sun of the tropics. Soon they fell ill with malaria and other tropical diseases. There was no doctor or nurse, or medicine in the camp. One of the camp's Captain's had been part of a military commission in Nazi German charged with studying the operation of concentration camps. An example of punishments inflicted was "the pan" - a cement building with just three holes made in the heavy iron door for light and air. Inside prisoners suffer from the heat. They survived in small compartments with small quantities of water and bread. Horror.




- The start of the sixties brought with it the Portuguese Colonial War. Salazar had refused to give up Portugals' colonies in Africa - Angola, Guinea-Bissau, and Mozambique. The dictatorship's 14 years efforts to hold on to the colonies was responsible for countless deaths among the young generation.

- Many young men were emigrating, often illegally, as a means of avoiding conscription. Many escaped because they could not stand the lack of freedom.

- Portugal was living under a strong influence of the Catholic Church. Portugal was the 3 F's country: Fátima, futebol and fado.

More about April 25 on my next postage!
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April 15, 2014

What is the Portuguese Carnation Revolution?



Famous poster



Images on this video show how the siege of Carmo Headquarters by the Armed Forces Movement took place. Salgueiro Maia leads the operation. The military are surrounded by thousands of people who supported the revolution. There was eminent danger as no one knew how the government forces would react. Marcelo Caetano and two ministers of his cabinet were inside. The siege began at 12:30 and 16:30 Marcelo Caetano announced that he would surrender. An hour later, General Spinola entered the Carmo Headquarters to negotiate the surrender of the Government.The Carmo Headquarters hoisted the white flag. At 19:30 Marcelo Caetano surrenders. Victory!

In a nutshell:

- A bloodless coup occurred 25th April 1974 which ended the repressive and dictatorial leadership of the country.
- The longest dictatorship in Europe, the Estado Novo, had prevailed for almost 50 years - Old regime or Estado Novo was founded by 1933. It was led by António de Oliveira Salazar, Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. Then Marcelo Caetano took over.
- Just past midnight tanks moved into Lisbon and took control of television, radio centres and the airport. Troops armed with machineguns stormed the barracks where the Prime Minister and two of his ministers had taken refuge. Spontaneous demonstrations filled the streets. Thousands of civilians mingled with the soldiers, the newly formed MFA - Movement of Armed Forces - despite orders to stay inside.They shouted O Povo unido, jamais será vencido! This means The united people will never be defeated.
- General António de Spínola received the surrender of the prime minister Marcelo Caetano. Caetano spent the rest of his life in exile in Brazil.
- A famous poster of April 25th- a blond kid with curly hair puts a red carnation in the barrel of a gun hold by a military. The kid was three years old and his name is Diogo Bandeira Freire. Today he lives in the UK and married an English woman. He never voted in Portugal.



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Salgueiro Maia was Carnation Revolution's hero

Portugal Freedom Day Watches
Portugal Freedom Day Watches by aportugueselove
Look at Portugal Watches online at Zazzle.com


"Fed up with almost 50 years of oppression,
- Sick of incompetence,
- Fed of cannon fodder manufacture,
- Tired of helping a handful of gluttons eating on the budget account,
- Tired of "fighting" for lost causes,
I decided to say "enough."

(...) After the first radio signal with the song E depois do adeus, we begin to wake up the guys, they were was convinced to stand before another instruction night. (...)

Thus, before the denial of freedom and injustice that we had reached, the zero hope in better days, we had to change the regime, not to become substitutes to the previous regime ourselves, but to return freedom and democracy to the people so to ensure people the choice of the collective destiny.

To unwind, I stated that there were various types of states: the liberals, the social democrats, the socialists, etc.., But no state was worse than the condition that we had become, so it urged to finish with it. "

(Excerpt is taken from the book Capitão de Abril: Histórias da guerra do ultramar e do 25 de Abril )

Carnation Revolution. It started 20 minutes after midnight and before dinner time it was over. The army didn't fire a shot but four civilians were killed by the government forces and maybe 50 were injured. A legendary army captain named Fernando Salgueiro Maia was 29 years old that day and he was the man who led a revolutionary movement of 144 left-wing junior officers. He was the face and the heart of the Carnation Revolution even if the commanding officer was the more radical Otelo Carvalho. Salgueiro Maia was a real patriot and hero. He was a skilled, intelligent, honest and generous man. He cared for the others more than he cared about himself. He died too soon, in 1992, of cancer, but he will never be forgotten by those who give freedom due value. This revolution changed Portugal.


In Lisboa, the walls of Universidade Nova building at Avenida de Berna da Universidade Nova gained new meaning and life. This is the work from a collective of young artists - Miguel Januário, Frederico Draw, Diogo Machado e Gonçalo Ribeiro - that were indicated by Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils to accomplish the job. Well done!

This was a great idea because murals were common in Portugal after the Revolution. Take a look!



And here are some more photos, Posters, Murals, Paintings and Stickers!

Centro de documentação 25 de Abril Documentation centre of Coimbra Universtity. Portuguese language. 

Portuguese plastic artists on the Revolution 
A collection of works from Portuguese plastic artists inspired by the Carnation Revolution. 

Images, posters, stickers about the Carnation Revolution The photos of the Revolution 
57 black and white photos that document the Carnation Revolution 

Artistic murals of the Revolution 
Conceção Neuparth Collection. This woman photographed more than 500 murals from north to south of Portugal. 

Celeste of the carnations 
Celeste Caeiro explains how she got the carnations and why she gave it to the military. ( Portuguese language.)
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April 13, 2014

April 25th - Celebrating freedom in Portugal

Portugal and red carnation bumper sticker
Portugal and red carnation bumper sticker by aportugueselove
Check out Carnation Bumper Stickers online at zazzle



In a few weeks, it will be time to celebrate April's Revolution. It happened 40 years ago already! I decided to write about it because it's an important date.

I was a child when it happened. We were sent home from school and I had a pink uniform! I remember a black and white TV showing images of what was going on in Lisbon. I remember enthusiastic discussions from the adults around it. Then I remember returning to school and watching two big fainted squares on the classroom wall in front of us. That's because the photos of the deposed political leaders have been taken down. I also remember that the name of the street I lived in changed. The old name wasn't considered good anymore. It was now named after the Revolution - Rua 25 de Abril. And I remember that I liked that! I liked the fact that I was living in a street that received a name after Carnation Revolution. On April 25th, 1974, the Armed Forces Movement re-established democracy without shedding the blood of those who opposed changing. The military did not take revenge, they treated prisoners with respect and justice. I've always found this to be an amazing achievement.

I also remember that my mother bought red carnations several times the weeks that followed that exciting day. They were in a flower vase on the living room table. I did not like carnations and the Revolution did not change that.




The story of this symbol is that Tourist Day was being celebrated and there were lots of carnations for distribution in the markets of Lisbon. An important restaurant was holding a party to celebrate one year of existence but because of the Revolution going on the manager decided not to open for the day. The carnations they had for the party were given to employees that took the flowers home. One woman that was passing by was asked a cigar by a military. But she was a non-smoker. So she gave him the carnation and immediately he placed it in the barrel of the gun. Her name is Celeste Caeiro and she's known since that day as Celeste dos Cravos, Celeste of the Carnations. The gesture was then replicated and the carnations become a spontaneous symbol of the revolution.


At the start of the 1980s, after some years of political instability, Portugal evolved towards the full democracy which is part of the country of the present day. I am grateful to the men who had the initiative to change things back in April 1974. I may not agree with the current political situation in the country. I can say this openly without fear of going to jail and being tortured. I value freedom. I can write my opinions without fear of censorship. And as a woman, I value that the law does not discriminate me just because I'm a woman anymore. 

Even though many people are disenchanted with the direction the country has taken recently I think we should always celebrate Dia da Liberdade or Freedom Day and honor the memory of men who dared to fight the system. What is Carnation Revolution? Why did it happen? What were the consequences of it? I'll provide some historical footage and list the songs that made history at the time. I just hope to have the time to write.

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April 5, 2014

The wonderful cork and the most famous Portuguese cork oak tree




This photo is a courtesy from Miguel Monteiro. 
Check more photos of this tree at his blog.


Hello Friends and Zazzlers!

I've been wanting to write more but unable to do it. This last week went by very quickly. At last, I find some time to write more about cork. Zazzle has surprised us with some cork products. I liked it a lot. But for now, it's just cork coasters. I hope someone convinces Zazzle to add some more!

Cork is a fascinating raw material. At least for me, it is. The origins of the use of cork are lost in time. This raw material from the cork oak (Quercus Suber L.) was already in use thousands of years before Christ. Today cork is used in endless objects but Ancient Egyptians used cork for the soles of their sandals and Romans also use it for footwear! Portuguese caravels sailed to discover new territories and also made use of cork in its construction. But mostly cork was used to keep wine protected in containers. This started n the 17th century when Dom Pérignon made cork stoppers the perfect way to preserve his champagne.

Cork is the bark of the cork oak (Quercus Suber L.). It's a 100% natural plant tissue. It consists of a honeycomb of microscopic cells filled with an air-like gas and coated mainly with suberin and lignin. Cork is harvested every nine years, without any tree being felled during the process.

Portugal is the biggest producer of cork in the world. So let me introduce you to a famous tree. It's called "the whistler" - o assobiador. He was baptized this way by English tourists when they heard the birds singing from its branches. This particular Portuguese cork oak is 230 years of age and can be found at Chaparral do Mendonça, Águas de Moura, in Palmela. The tree is 20.6 meters in height. The trunk reached a circumference of 5.24 meters at the base and 4.15 meters to 1.30 meters tall. The canopy has a diameter of about 29 meters and, according to the people of the village, is good luck to the newlyweds to marry under his shadow which is why this cork oak is also known as "matchmaker tree." In 1991 the tree produced a whopping 1,200 pounds of cork that originated 100,000 cork stoppers!

It takes each cork oak 25 years before it can be stripped for the first time. Only from the third stripping at 43 years of age that the cork has a high standard of quality required for producing cork stoppers. This kind of cork is known as "amadia". The first two harvests, one is called virgin cork, the second is called "secundeira" cork are used for flooring and construction, fashion and design products. The cork is harvested between May and August. Over the course of its lifetime of 200 years, oak corks may be stripped 17 times.

Cork is very versatile due to its characteristics. This raw material is light, elastic and impermeable. Cork has low conductivity to heat, noise and vibration. It burns without a flame and does not emit toxic gases during combustion. Cork is extremely resistant to abrasion, very resistant. It's hypoallergenic because does not absorb dust.

This week a cradle made of cork was on the news. It was designed by two Portuguese - Sofia Chinita and Karen Pereira - for Green Furniture Sweeden Award. The cork cradle is one of the finalists' projects.



"Sleep Tight cradle is a simply poetic design in an area seldom explored by designers. Sleep Tight cradle is made of all natural pressed cork. Using cork in new applications is a way of preserving the cork woods and handcraft as the wine industry is turning to plastic and aluminum." ( From GFS site)

But this is just one product among many surprising products made possible from cork.

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March 16, 2014

Portugal is the largest cork exporter in the world!

Flowers and red Portuguese hearts
Flowers and red Portuguese hearts by aportugueselove
View more Portuguese heart Cork Coaster at zazzle.com
Look at more Portuguese rooster Cork Coaster at zazzle

How do you like these Zazzle cork coasters with Portuguese designs in it? I am glad Zazzle is presenting cork as a material. I wonder if it's Portuguese cork! Unfortunately, it's just a set of coasters. There are a lot of products made of cork that could get our designs printed. I am thinking of writing some posts about it. I have some. I like cork products a lot. I just don't have more cork products in the house more because it can be expensive. 

Portugal has many companies that work to produce cork products. And not just the traditional bottle cork stoppers anymore. Designers are creating incredible the most incredible products - shoes, clothes, jewels, bags, bowls, almost anything. Cork is so versatile. Check Granorte, one of the most reliable and prestigious companies in the cork industry.

Granorte is a Portuguese company, founded in 1972 to recycle the cork waste from the cork stoppers manufacturing. Granorte offers a complete range of cork products from granulated to an agglomerated cork, cork rolls, wall, and floor coverings. 

First, they specialized in producing granulated cork. Today, GRANORTE is a leading Portuguese sustainable flooring manufacturer, offering a complete range of technical cork products. You can watch these videos to know a bit more about this Portuguese company.



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February 6, 2014

Portuguese fado singer Cristina Branco is back!




Idealist is the name of the new record of my favorite Portuguese fado singer, Cristina Branco!

"In this new record “Idealist” Cristina Branco summarized a musical universe encompassing hundreds of great songs resulting from seventeen years long career begun in 1996, in Amsterdam. But we are not in the presence of another collection of songs, as extraordinary as the summary of so many sublime moments could be. “Idealist” is also a firm promise of continuation of her musical, poetical and interpretative path, as proved by the three new tracks that are added to Cristina Branco’s “ideal list”: a traditional fado, “Na rua do silêncio (fado Estoril)”, and two original songs with lyrics by Mário Cláudio – “Se fores não chores por mim” and “Fado da partilha”. Three new songs carrying noticeably Cristina Branco’s personal brand and proving that the singer feels more close to fado today than she felt in other stages of her career."

from Cristina Branco's Official site









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February 5, 2014

Timeless Love stories


Hello friends and Zazzlers!


It's almost that time of the year. No. Not Christmas. Well, it's almost that special holiday of the year! One that many can't stand! One that many love. Yes, it's Valentine's Day. Yet most people like love stories. Love is always a success. Hearts melt reading about love stories - Frida and Diego Rivera's for example. Or one of the poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett. These two started writing letters to each other and ended up married!


I loved Marie and Pierre Curie love story for a long time. I read their story when I was very young and I imagined a couple living and working together with great success in a lab surrounded by mystery. It seemed so modern and so adventurous! They shared Nobel prizes but unfortunately, their love for the wonders of science would lead to their deaths as they were not aware of radiation exposure dangers. I am also quite fond of Saramago and Pilar love story.


Then there is also John Lennon and Yoko Ono's love story. After getting married the two stayed in their bedroom in Amsterdam for an all week and did not leave their pajamas! They even met with the press in their white pajamas! One of the most famous couples of Hollywood was Lauren Bacal and Humphrey Bogart. Their love disregards physical age, they called each other Bogie and Baby. Humphrey, aged 46, and Lauren, aged 20, were married after the first got divorced.


Another love story, Ann Druyan, and Carl Sagan, the two scientists fell in love while putting together the Voyager Interstellar Message Project. This was a registration of sounds of human hearts beating, laughs and kisses and music. They got married the day after it went out into space. I bet you would like to know more love stories! What did I tell you? Love is a big hit! If you have one story you like, please leave it in the comments space below! Share the love!

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January 8, 2014

The new year started with bad weather in Portugal




Douro river mouth 
(3 prints from the video mentioned below)


Since Monday - 6 January- until yesterday, 7 January, we had rough sea conditions at Portuguese coastline. There was a red alert on, the level of highest weather warnings. It's a lot better now but it seems the bad weather will return at the beginning of next week. The stormy conditions at sea together with high tides originated coastal chaos in Portugal especially in the coastline from Viana do Castelo to Lisbon. But waves were unusually high in most of the Portuguese coastline. The violent sea caused extensive damage on coastal infrastructures and property along the shoreline from north to south of the country.

Watch the video I posted below and see how a big wave could have easily swept away folks nearby while watching and photo taking the large swells. This incident took place in Foz do Douro, Porto. Watch a wave that easily washed around 20 cars away from the beachfront area. Some people got hurt and were treated for cuts, bruising and hypothermia. The incident occurred at around 4pm.
In southern Portugal, quaint Algarvian coastal villages suffered flooding while huge waves crashed against the region’s characteristic cliffs as the water pushed its way inland. The waves' spray was actually reaching the top of the cliffs. Watch it on a photo bellow also!

As you know, I live by the sea, in the center of Portugal. The street close to the sea was closed because the constant advancing and retreating of the waves were jetting debris on it. I saw lots of sand washed up. The sea was and still is quite noisy. I read we have coastal infrastructures damaged, some wooden walkways are broken on the beaches south to the river's mouth. I really don't like bad weather and December and January has been terrible. Have a look! I picked 3 photos. (You have to be connected to Facebook to see it)

This one was taken at Algarve, Sagres.

This photo was taken at Corvo island, Azores

This photo was taken at island Terceira island, Azores

And a very short video: big wave surprises people on the street, Oporto

This is a photo of the same spot, at the river Douro's mouth, but this photo is, I believe, from December.
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December 6, 2013

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013



Read more on ONE

Rest in peace Nelson Mandela. You were and always be an inspiration.

After being jailed for 27 long years, Nelson Mandela established democracy and became president of South Africa in 1994. He received more than 250 awards over four decades, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
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November 27, 2013

Portuguese Vocabulary and Christmas wall decals

Want to learn some Portuguese words? 
Experimentem! (Try it!) 


Saudações - Salutations

- Feliz Natal - Happy Christmas

- Boas Festas - Season Greetings

Comida - Food
- Bacalhau - Codfish
- Bacalhau cozido - Boiled codfish
- Bolo Rei - King Cake
Presentes - Gifts
- Papel de embrulho - Wrapping paper
- Fita - Ribbon 
Decorações - Decorations
- Árvore de Natal - Christmas tree 
- Enfeites de Natal - Christmas Ornaments 
- Neve artificial - Artificial snow 
- Sinos - Bells 
- Velas - Candles 
- Adesivos de parede - Wall decals
- Luzes de Natal - Christmas lights
- Azevinho - Mistletoe
- Estrela - Star
- Meia - Sock/ Christmas stocking
- Sapato - Shoe 
- Coroa de Natal - Christmas Wreath 
Outros - Others 
- Pai Natal - Santa Claus
- Véspera de Natal - Christmas Eve 
- Postal de Natal - Christmas Card 
- Dezembro - December 
- Presépio - creche, crib, nativity scene 
- Família - Family 
- Tradição - Tradition 
- Lareira - Fireplace 
- Boneco de neve - Snowman 
- Missa - Mass

On a previous post, I sellected some Christmas items for the house decoration designed by me. The next selection comes from Zazzle marketplace! It's 70 wall decals to decorate and celebrate Christmas. Happy Christmas decorating with Wall Decals from Zazzle!


I sold one Christmas Wall Decal last week and that caught my attention to this product. Not a lot of wall decals available on the marketplace, well, not as many as other products. These wall decals are printed with premium eco-solvent inks on high-quality fabric paper. Made to be moved, each wall decal can be peeled and repeeled up to one hundred times without damaging the decal or walls. No glue, no frames, no pain. What is Zazzle promise? Brilliant high-resolution printing on self-adhesive fabric paper. Easy peel and restick up to 100 times. No wall damage or sticky residue. These wall decals are manufactured by Walls 360 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Take a look!




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