Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Sam Jones and Gonçalo Fonseca in Lisbon, and Philip Oltermann

‘We need to tell people everything’: Portugal grapples with legacy of colonial past

The Padrão dos Descobrimentos overlooking the Tagus River in Lisbon
The Padrão dos Descobrimentos overlooking the Tagus River in Lisbon. Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images

One morning towards the end of June, the monolithic hulk of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, which has loomed over the Tagus River for six decades, its stony prow forever poised to cast off from the Lisbon quayside in search of power, glory and riches, woke, once again, to find itself altered.

“The nation that killed Africa,” read the graffiti scrawled on the monument to Portugal’s pioneering role in the age of discovery. Then came a contemporary afterthought: “Wakanda forever.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.