A little Portuguese history...a little Portuguese Music...a little Portuguese Super-Star Mom!

Some time ago I've told you I was born in Africa,

in S.Tome e Principe.

So now you know where S.Tome e Principe is located...

As you can see,

S. Tome is one island and Principe is another island.

S.Tome is the island where I was born,

and tough I do not remember my time there

(I do remember my years in Angola and Mozambique),

I can still hear my parents telling me

it was the most beautiful place they've ever lived in.

 

As a matter of fact three of us (me and two brothers) were born in Africa.

The other three (my sister and the two younger brothers)

were born in

Portugal main land in Europe.

My dad was in the military and was placed in different countries of Africa

(then Portuguese colonies) 

during our growing up lives..

But all of us did live in Africa, sometime or another

(except for my baby brother, born in the same year

we all came back to Europe for the last time),

and my childhood was spent between Africa and Europe.

And today I live in North America... life can be weird, don't you think?

Why am I telling you all this?...

Because today I want to take you with me down memory lane,

sharing some pics and some music too.

My older brother
once introduced me to Joao Afonso music,
taping me a collage of one of his albums called Missangas.

This song (Fugir com o Cientista) is part of that album. 

Joao Afonso also lived in Africa

and his so beautiful music has lots and lots of African influence.

Carteiro em Bicicleta
is one of his most famous songs,

and really, really good music, wouldn't you say...?

Joao Afonso is
Zeca Afonso nephew.

Some of you know very well whom am talking about...

but for those of you who don't...

Zeca Afonso

 is (was) the most famous Portuguese Revolutionary Singer

(from before and after the Revolution)

and it was one of his songs
(Grandola Vila Morena)
that triggered the broad casted code
for the Portuguese Military Revolution in April 25th 1974.

No blood shed, only the people's will and

the soldier's carnation guns made it all happen...

no more war, no more deaths in the war...

I remember my mom just saying

"Thank Goodness my son will not go to the war!"

She was talking about my older brother who at that time

was about to be drafted and be called into the military.

And that was the FEAR of all the Portuguese mothers...
isn't it the same with all the mothers..., all over...?

Any How...

Africa does scar you for ever.

I used to dream of Africa, literally, when we definitely move back to Europe.

I used to wake up during the night and not being sure of where I was.

I'd miss my friends, my play grounds, my growing up fantasies...

my doll tea parties with my sister and friends,

my Enid Blyton like adventures with my school mates...

All of us girls were like The Five aficionados,

we even had a club named THE FIVE ,

and we gave each one of us the same names as the characters

and would try to run the same adventures...

I still remember the poor girl chosen to be Timmy, the dog...

if she wanted it in, she had to accept it...and she did, of course! 

So many stories and so many wonderful memories!

My older brother had the good fortune to go back

and revisit Africa a couple of years ago

(still waiting to see some pics brother...)

and if I ever will make out my bucket list,

go back to Africa is definitely one of my top ones!

And before I finish this post about my beloved Africa,

one last thing I would very much like to share with all of you:

the beautiful movie star like

 my MOM in Africa
(Guine-Bissau),

early 50's, when she married my Dad!

(We all love and miss you Mom & Dad!)