Home is the Journey: Tales from Portugal's Diasporas

Dennis Redmont, the head of the Associated Press Lisbon news operation in the 1960s and Vasco Abecassis, co-founder (with his wife at the time, Snu Abecassis) of Publicações Dom Quixote, share their journeys with the international foreign press in Portugal challenging the Salazar regime, reporting on censorship and repressed information, the Secret Police harassment of Redmont, Snu, and Quixote, Portugal's African colonial wars (including Dennis' persona non grata status with the Defense Ministry and Vasco's stint as Guinea-Bissau Governor General Arnaldo Schulz' foreign press liaison), dinner parties with Amalia Rodrigues and Natália Correia, and stories about Snu Abecassis including her fearless efforts against Estado Novo repression and personal conversations with her on the tragic day in 1980 just before she perished in a plane crash with her partner Portuguese Prime Minister Francisco Sá Carneiro. Dennis and Vasco reflect critically on their own roles during the period and the current state of affairs with reporting and public engagement with the news for seekers of honest and true reportingin these dangerous times.In their opening segment Miguel and Gil talk about Irish bar culture in Portugal, immigrant associations, and the 30th anniversary of the great Lisbon institution Gilins Pub in Cais do Sodré.

HITJ has an in depth conversation with accomplished social justice and labor organizers, activists, communicators, and educators Camilo Viveiros Jr. , from the University of Massachusetts Labor Education Center, and Humberto Da Silva, a union organizer, civilian journalist, commentator and author based in Toronto. We speak about the difference between labor organization theory and practice, their experiences organizing immigrant workers, and how their upbringing in working class Portuguese immigrant communities shaped their outlook and approach.In their opening segment, Miguel and Gil talk about their own first protests; protest culture in Portugal vs North America; the importance of joy and festa in Portuguese social activism.Miguel and Camilo recorded at the WJFD Radio station, the oldest Portuguese radio station in New England and an important community institution. Gil and Humberto recorded from Toronto.

HITJ talks about ICE raids, kidnappings, detentions, and deportations in Portuguese immigrant communities in New Bedford and other parts of Massachusetts with Immigrants' Assistance Center President Helena daSilva Hughes and Immigration lawyer Jennifer Velarde. Helena and Jennifer update us on what is happening to Portuguese and other immigrants at the hands of ICE; how green card holders are being arrested and deported; attitudes in the Portuguese immigrant communities about what is happening; and give practical advice on immigrants' legal and civic rights and how to protect themselves, their families, and loved ones if ICE tries to arrest them. They also provide a brief history about the importance of the Immigrants' Assistance Center in New Bedford and what the organization is doing to protect immigrants today.Helena daSilva Hughes has been a key immigrants' advocate helping Portuguese and other immigrant communities for 40 years. She is also the host of a weekly talk show on the Portuguese Channel "Vida Luso Americana". Jennifer Velarde immigrants law practice is in New Bedford.In their opening segment Miguel and Gil chat about Portugal's American football league, soccer in immigrant communities, and how bad skating rink ice is in Portugal.

HITJ journeys to Portugal's Carnation Revolution of April 25th, 1974, in conversation with the "Captain of April" Col. José Fernando Santos Coelho. One of the leaders of the revolution, Col. Coelho played a major role in planning and executing the occupation and command of the radio stations from which the revolutionaries communicated the operationalization of the military coup to overthrow the Estado Novo fascist dictatorship. Historian Annarita Gori joins Gilberto and Miguel for the opening segment.Col. Santos Coelho developed the plan to broadcast songs whose verses were choreographed to signal troop operations across the country and initiate the revolution. The Colonel talks about how he became politically radicalized, the early stages of planning for the revolution, and his role taking over the radio stations. He also reveals that José "Zeca " Afonso's "Grândola Vila Morena," the song that became synonymous with the Carnation Revolution and remains the central protest song in Portugal, was not the initial choice but rather another Afonso song that had to be changed at the last minute for reasons explained in the interview. The conversations ends with the April Captain's reflection on the meaning of liberty and his continued vigilance against current-day illiberal regimes and political leaders.In their opening segment Miguel and Gil invite historian Annarita Gori, to talk about their recent participation in the Association of Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies in Toronto and about the research project that Gori leads on which both Miguel and Gil participate. This episode was supported by her project, the Portuguese National Science Foundation funded ExPORT “Export Portugal. Cultural Diplomacy and the Rebranding Strategies of the Estado Novo in the United States (1933-1974)” (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia-2022.08653.PTDC, Annarita Gori, PI), ICS, Universidade de Lisboa. https://export.ics.ulisboa.pt/index.php/en/home-en/The English dub of Colonel Santos Coelho's interview was done by Jorge Anacleto. As mentioned in the episode, Anacleto recorded an album of original songs inspired by Fausto Bordalo Dias with the band Boemia (Géneses, 2023) and recorded in studio arrangements with the great singer songwriter José Mario Branco, one of the leaders of the Portuguese protest music movement (Musica de Intervenção) that challenged the dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s. See Anacleto's recording with José Mario Branco at: https://youtu.be/VYiz2x79UQ4

Home is the Journey explores queer and non-binary gender identities in the Portuguese Diaspora and Portugal in this conversation with sexually fluid multimedia artist Teresa Ascenção and trans non-binary musician Moon Palmar of the punk rock band Bad Waitress. Teresa and Moon speak with Miguel and Gil discussing the lgbtq+ communities in Portuguese immigrant Canada, the Azores, and Portugal and how their work is informed by their identities and how their artistic production explores non-binary gender expression. Among the topics in the episode, their conversation covers (and critiques) Carnival as a space for queer and non-binary gender expression, explores Patriarchy in Portugal and immigrant contexts, and offers thoughts about the challenges to create inclusive spaces in Diaspora communities.In their opening segment Gil and Miguel laugh about the time that Prince stole the spotlight from Ana Moura during a joint performance in Meco, current and past music festivals in Portugal, including how a PIDE agent during the Estado Novo dictatorship was scandalized by the communism and homoeroticism at the Vilar de Mouros festival, and some queer influences on the contemporary Portuguese music scene.

Home is the Journey talks to renowned Portuguese/Portuguese Canadian Actors Paulino Nunes (Father Dell’Aqua in the critically acclaimed and award winning series Shōgun and credits including The Boys, Law and Order, Brooklyn, Suits) and Jess Salgueiro (Eve on the Fraser reboot and credits including The Boys, Tiny Pretty Things, Working Moms, Letterkenny, Orphan Black). Paulino and Jess discuss their journeys as actors and growing up in Portuguese immigrant communities in Canada. In the episode, they critically reflect on representation of the Portuguese in North American film and television and talk about how their experiences in Portugal and Portuguese North America have shaped some of the roles they have played.In their opening segment, Gil and Miguel argue about the qualities and mainstreaming of the pastel de nata.

International comedy group The Portuguese Kids, Derrick DeMelo and Brian Martins, talk to Home is the Journey, about growing up in Massachusetts as kids of immigrants, revealing the sources and conflicts that create their comedy, performing for international audiences, the role of the internet, and discussing the history and future of cultural institutions in immigrant communities.In their opening segment, Miguel tells Gil about the time he blew an interview for a job on Wall Street by telling a very bad but clean joke.