When working, historical ties are difficult to break. Unlike other countries, or former colonizing powers, Portugal very early reestablished relations with “its former colonies”, always respected their autonomy, their independence and sought to help, whenever requested to do so, to solidify local institutions, its public services, its economy and everything possible. The maximum expression of this is Public Development Aid, which is implemented daily through bilateral cooperation between different Ministries and whose main beneficiary countries are precisely Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP). In 2022 alone there were almost 497 million euros, in 2021 there were 388 million euros and in 2020 there were 360 million euros. In addition to these amounts, there are also amounts of aid from the private sector, between companies, NGDOs and other institutions such as the European Union, international funds of which Portugal is also part and which help these countries to improve the quality of life of their populations.
For anyone who is curious, I suggest you consult the Instituto Camões website where you can find very detailed information on this topic and better understand the dimension of this cooperation policy.
All this cooperation for development has been promoted by successive governments in Portugal because they had this awareness and responsibility to help countries that were colonized by our ancestors. It is no coincidence that the main beneficiaries of this aid are these and not others located even closer to our borders. Portugal is aware of its history and must also be aware that the people of these countries also have a special sympathy for the Portuguese and for our country. It is for this reason that in Mozambique, Angola, etc., they support Portugal in our national team’s games and we support them when they play against other African nations, as the great Olivier Bonamici remembers a few days ago.
No matter how much some try to spoil or disturb relations between Portugal and its former colonies, this is a relationship of blood, of brothers, of a common past that we must not forget and with a joint future that we must do everything to value. If colonization had many sins and the decolonization process was a disaster, the future could be much better.
The repair to be made is a repair of a bilateral relationship, which must be seen situation by situation as each relationship has its history, its context and its sensitivities are not transferable. Making this discussion public, or making it a public and conceptual discussion, does not support the repair of the relationship, which is the repair that makes sense, if there is room to be done. Done in this way only creates constraints conditioned by public opinion that does not arise from this particular context of a relationship between two States, nor does it contribute to the fluidity of that relationship.
In this regard, it is important to highlight that in the Portuguese case there will not be as many works of art “stolen” from overseas territories as occurred, for example, with the French invasions here. Recent studies by the Portuguese authorities themselves have revealed that the “objects” brought from the former colonies and identified have neither great artistic nor historical value. There are some pieces of art that were purchased by their owners and are not in the custody of the State. Or rather, there are some things that could be returned but not in the proportion that the discussion suggests. I am told that the largest collection identified and located by the State is related to the study of the human body, for scientific purposes and that it involves mortal remains, bone tissue, etc. that in other times were brought from Africa and that were fundamental for the study of medicine, pharmaceuticals, etc. to respond to the needs of these countries. This material cannot even be transported, there is no interest from these countries, nor scientific conditions to accommodate it
I hope, and I suspect, that no matter how hard some people try, they will not be able to ruin the good relationship that exists between Portugal and these countries, between the Portuguese and the Guineans, between the Portuguese and the Mozambicans, between the Portuguese and the São Toméans, between the Portuguese and Brazilians, between Portuguese and Angolans, between Portuguese and Cape Verdeans.
