They pretended to be a couple in hiding, but love spoke louder and 50 years later they are still together – 25 April 50 years

It was a lie until it wasn’t anymore. Armando and Mariana viveram your love story while lthey fought for freedom. Communists and clandestine, went to live together in the summer 1970 It is pretended to be a couple for go unnoticed and be able to continue to play an active role in the opposition to the regime. By keeping a common secret, they ended up falling in love. Together for more than five decades, remember today, from stages to classrooms, the Portugal they knew during their youth and the obstacles they had in face before the arrival of democracy.

Mariana Oliveira She was a clandestine practically since she was born. Daughter of PCP employees and granddaughter of one of the founders of the communist party, she soon realized that she wanted to be part of the struggle. At the age of nine, she started helping her parents at the Avante printing shop in Lisbon. She learned to read and enjoy Portuguese from newspapers. At 15, she became a militant. Already Armando Morais He joined the party at 18. She came from a very large family and was always concerned about social injustice and poverty. He ended up “diving underground” when political activity left him too exposed. He was wanted by the police and his face appeared in the newspapers and on television. At that time, he was advised by comrades to join Mariana and pretend to be her husband.

In the summer of 1970, when they still barely knew each other, Armando and Mariana bought fake rings and moved in together. He performed administrative functions in the party, she stayed at home and helped maintain appearances. After three months, there was no longer any need to pretend. The camaraderie they felt for each other turned into love.

An underground life

There was little care for those who lived their daily lives in hiding. False identities, simulated letters and passwords to enter the house are some examples of the practices they had to comply with. For Armando and Mariana it was no different. Life was “not normal”, but it had to appear so as not to arouse suspicion.

During the four years they were together in hiding, Armando and Mariana lived in five houses and a few rooms. They only stayed in one room for a month because of the suspicious looks of a neighbor. The house where they lived the longest was in the Lisbon neighborhood of Campo de Ourique. They lived in that house for around two and a half years and that was when they saw their family grow. They had two children: Sérgio and Catarina.

Campo de Ourique had to stay behinds when they discovered they were already being watched. A pnext airing was Amadorawhere they had a riot police as a neighbor. Armando and Mariana andwere aware that at any time could be arrestedbut tyam in be prepared not to denounce comrades.

Despite all the setbacks and fears, never arrived to thebe detained they didn’t even need to separate from their childrenwhat it was the “sentence” of clandestinity that they feared most.

“April was leaving prehistory”

With the 25th of April, Armando and Mariana stopped “living in black and white” and started “living in color”. Mariana went back to using her real name and “left prehistory”. Free, she managed to study and take a Communication Sciences course. Armando never stopped fighting for workers’ rights and, to this day, remains politically active.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the revolution, Armando and Mariana affirm that the people’s struggle is not over. Outraged by the poverty in which many live and the conditions given to Portuguese workers, they say that “this was not what April was for”. And they emphasize that it is important to be alert so that fascist ideals do not return. “These are old ideas that smell like mold (…) It’s a very dangerous conversation. We lived it, we suffered a lot and now we don’t want to. The fight continues and will always continue”, reinforces Mariana.