Migrant activism - daily life and struggle in the bairro

Cova da Moura is again threatened by cultural conflicts imbued with racism and the pressure of powerful interests willing to destroy a community in the name of a ‘regeneration’ that would only benefit property developers. Resistance aims to set up a Community Land Trust and to build on the Intangible Cultural Heritage that their annual festival has gained.

Cova da Moura was born in fragile circumstances and has had to fight to become the vibrant community it is today. But the stain of ‘illegality’ still haunts the area, and more so now because of the housing crisis in the Lisbon area, and the rise of the extreme right anti-immigration party Chega.  

Portuguese law gives protection to the residents as lawful occupiers as they have lived here for more than 20 years, but there are also plans to regenerate the area which have been discussed for many years. And the plan favoured by the residents which would maintain and improve the existing community clashes with one favoured by the local Council to tear it all down and build middle-class housing for private sale.

Cova da Moura, like other places suffers from the stigma of being seen as a problem area disconnected from the rest of the urban community. But the image that Cova da Moura projects goes far beyond the ghetto image, as can be seen, for example, in the annual Kova San Jon festival. This Festival reflects the strong Cabo-Verdean community, which brings together traditional music, dances and processions in a 3-day festival This year the festival has seen its worth as “Intangible Cultural Heritage” in Portugal officially renewed, a recognition that it first received in 2013. Godelieve believes this will be an important support for maintaining the community, because the link between the festival and the physical neighbourhood is explicitly acknowledged in the official Government Paper “Diario da Republica” from 16/10/2013.

The community of Cova da Moura has its own Batuke group called Finka Pé, a dance-and-percussion art which is a cultural expression of Cape Verdean women which was banned before 1974 by the Portuguese colonizers. Madonna made a show together with the “Batucadeiras” who live in Portugal.

This is the intro, the full article with photographs can be accessed on the website of The Prisma Multicultural newspaper:

https://theprisma.co.uk/2025/10/06/migrant-activism-daily-life-and-struggle-in-the-bairro/