It was the first time a president of a country in southern Europe proposed a national apology when Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated on Tuesday that his nation should apologize and accept responsibility for its participation in the transatlantic slave trade.
6 million Africans were abducted, forcefully transported over the Atlantic by Portuguese ships, and sold into slavery, mostly to Brazil, between the 15th and the 19th centuries.
But up to this point, Portugal has seldom discussed its history, and nothing is taught in schools about its involvement in slavery.
Instead, the colonial period, which saw Portugal rule over nations like Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, as well as portions of India, is often seen as a source of pride by the Portuguese.
Rebelo de Sousa said the nation should do more than merely apologize during Portugal’s yearly celebration of the “Carnation” revolution, which overthrew the country’s government in 1974, but he did not provide any details.
He added that the nation should “assume responsibility” for its history in order to create a better future. “Apologizing is sometimes the easiest thing to do: you just say you’re sorry, turn your back, and the job is done,” he said.
After Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva addressed the Portuguese parliament, Rebelo de Sousa made the comment. Lula da Silva was in Portugal for his first trip to Europe since taking office. In 1822, Brazil separated from Portugal.
He claimed that the Portuguese language and culture’s proliferation across Brazil was one of the benefits of Portuguese colonization.
The exploitation of Indigenous people, enslavement, and the sacrifice of Brazilians’ interests were on the negative side, he said.
The leading human rights organization in Europe has earlier said that Portugal needed to do more to address its colonial history and participation in the transatlantic slave trade in order to contribute in the current battle against racism and prejudice.
