Angolans in Portugal

Angolans in Portugal

Total population
(162,604 (2011)[1])
Regions with significant populations
Lisbon[2]
Languages
Portuguese

Angolans in Portugal form the country's second-largest group of African migrants, after Cape Verdeans.^[3] As of 2006, official statistics showed 28,854 legal Angolan residents in Portugal.^[1] However, this number is likely an underestimate of the true size of the community, as it counts neither illegal migrants nor people of Angolan origin who hold Portuguese citizenship.^[3]

Migration history

Large-scale migratory flow from Angola to Portugal began in the 1970s, around the time of Angolan independence.^[4] However, this early flow consisted largely of retornados, white Portuguese born in Angola. The bulk of mixed-race or black African migrants came later.^[2] After the 2002 peace agreement which ended the Angolan Civil War, many Angolan migrants in Portugal returned to Angola. By 2003, statistics of the Angolan embassy in Portugal showed that between 8,000 and 10,000 had already returned, and that 400 people a week were flying from Portugal to the Angolan capital Luanda.^[5] However, statistics of the Instituto Nacional de Estatística showed that the population of Angolan legal residents did not decrease from 2001 to 2003, but instead grew by 12.6% (from 22,751 to 25,616 people).^[1]

Culture

Angolan migrants in Portugal do not have a particularly homogeneous culture. However, two important elements of their self-described common identity are calor humano (human warmth) and convivência (living together), part of "African hospitality" and "African solidarity" which they feel is an important difference between Angolan and Portuguese social relations.^[6]

Angolan migrants in Portugal have had a significant influence on the popularisation of the kuduro musical style.^[7] Cinematic portrayals include Leonel Vieira's 1998 blockbuster Zona J.^[8]

References

Notes

1. INE 2007, p. 1
2. Øien 2007, p. 24
3. Øien 2007, pp. 26–27
4. Grassi 2007, p. 74
5. de Queiroz, Mario (2003-03-04), "Angola: Thousands Return from Portugal to a Homeland at Peace", Inter Press Service, retrieved 2009-03-16
6. Øien 2007, p. 25
7. Solon, Dermot (2009-02-16), "Buraka Som Sistema", Analogue Magazine, retrieved 2009-03-16
8. Ferreira 2007, p. 49

Sources

• Ferreira, Caroline Overhoff (May 2007), "No future – The Luso-African generation in Portuguese Cinema", Studies in European Cinema 4 (1): 49–60, doi:10.1386/seci.4.1.49_1
• Grassi, Marzia (2007), "Práticas, formas e solidariedades da integração de jovens de origem angolana no mercado de trabalho em Portugal" (PDF), Economia Global e Gestão 12 (3): 71–91, retrieved 2009-03-16
• Øien, Cecilie (2007), "The Angolan diaspora in Lisbon: An introduction" (PDF), Economia Global e Gestão 12 (3): 23–33, retrieved 2009-03-16
• "População Estrangeira em Portugal", Destaque: Informação à Comunicação Social (Instituto Nacional de Estatística), 2007-12-13, retrieved 2009-03-16

Further reading

• Cabecinhas, Rosa; Lorenzi-Cioldi, Fabio; Novelle, Anne Dafflon (2003), "Direct and indirect assessment of group homogeneity perceptions in a natural group setting" (PDF), Psicologia 17 (2), ISSN 0874-2049, retrieved 2009-03-16. A study of Angolan migrants in Portugal, their self-perception, and their perception by Portuguese people.
• Grassi, Marzia (2007), "Introdução teórica e metodológica ao projecto "Angola em Movimento: sociabilidades e trocas económicas informais"" (PDF), Economia Global e Gestão 12 (3): 9–22