Almost Independence Day

Well 5th July was not so far off the mark. But since the 4th July fell on a Friday it seemed more appropriate to our American friends who live in the next block to throw a party in the forest of Monsanto on the other side of the Lisbon on the Saturday afternoon. So there we were, 40 or so of us including children and babies, all friends and neighbours of Ryan and Dana, plus friends from our little Church fellowship along with 5 kgs of beef for the hamburgers!! And apart from Ryan and Dana, not a single citizen of the US of A among us!

As it turned out, I ended up celebrating two Independence Days on the one day, if you can follow me. Surreal, I know. But it just so happens that, 5th July is also the Independence Day of the Cape Verde Islands (a former Portuguese colony off the west coast of Africa), and, with my love of Cabo Verde music, I jumped at the opportunity when neighbour Carlos suggested going to a Cabo Verdean club downtown to celebrate his country’s independence after we’d finished with the American one!!

Anyway back to the forest and the burgers patiently waiting to be fried. On arrival at Monsanto, a notice in the forest informed us that from 1st July to 15th August there was a strict ban on campfires and barbeques in forest parks due to the high incidence of forest fires in the summer months. A quick consultation and it was back to the apartment for myself, Ryan and José to fry up at home and blacken a few kitchens. But, all in all, it was great fun chatting and connecting with people. Oh, and by the way, after the official party ended, the music was good too, in Casa de Morna, at Alcantara from 11:00 to 01:30

The Cabo Verdeans are such that, you only have to set one down on a stool and put a guitar in his hand, and out comes this wonderful rhythmic music that combines Brazil with Senegal with Portugal, and all sorts of other sounds and rhythms in between. Carlos, himself is involved in a support group here that helps immigrants who come to Lisbon for medical treatment but need a lot of support. I am looking forward to helping him in some of the good work he does there.