¿Portuzuela or Venegal?

This post will give a very short summary about Portuguese immigration in Venezuela and will talk about my experience in Coimbra, Portugal and the links between the two countries; it’s about the place where I’m from and the place where I’m living at the moment.

First of all, it is very important to know that in Venezuela are living approximately more than half a million Portuguese, making Venezuela the home of the second biggest Portuguese diaspora in Latin America after Brazil and the fourth in the world.

The Portuguese immigration to Venezuela started during the process of colonisation, but the biggest wave of Portuguese immigrants took place during the 1950’s and onwards, when hundreds of Portuguese came to Venezuela, mainly escaping from hunger, fascism and unemployment of the Salazar’s regime Estado Novo. The majority of them came from the island of Madeira and a small group from Aveiro and Northern Portugal.

The Portuguese community managed to settle down quickly and to be part of the Venezuelan society by marrying locals and by not been isolated. One of the most positive aspects brought by the Portuguese was the culture of hard work and honesty, especially because when they first came they did the most basic jobs and they didn’t presume to be superior just by the fact of being European and especially because they came with nothing, just with their hands, humbleness and modesty. In the same way, they never had the intention of being the foreman or the big boss, mainly because it was against their principles and they have been escaping from it in their homeland and struggling for the end of Portuguese colonialism in Africa.

The Portuguese always worked in the agricultural sector, in construction and trading agricultural goods, it is important to know that biggest supermarkets in Venezuela are owned by Portuguese. They also brought the concept of ‘bakery’, in every bakery in Caracas you will find out that the owners or at least an employee is Portuguese or from Portuguese background. It is also very common to see surnames like Pereira, De Sousa, De Almeida, Oliveira, Carvalho, etc. Clearly all coming from Portugal and in my own experience I have many friends with Portuguese family and even in my family and I have been in contact with the Portuguese community because my aunt, the ex-wife of my uncle is Portuguese. In addition one state of Venezuela is called “Portuguesa” because it was founded by the Portuguese explorer João Fernandes de Leão and the myth that a Portuguese lady died drowned in what today is known as the Portuguesa river.

During my time in Venezuela and especially now in Coimbra, for me it has always been very interesting how this two countries have so many things in common, and why our links are much stronger than with many other Latin American states and during my time in Portugal I have realised how our links are even stronger than what I´ve thought.

It has happened to me many times that when I meet Portuguese people, they ask me if my family is Portuguese or if I am “luso-venezuelano”, also in the University of Coimbra I have met a few Portuguese students who were born in Venezuela and then moved to Portugal with their family, a great example of what is a  “luso-venezuelano”. It has been pretty common to hear Portuguese people telling me that they have an uncle, grandpa, grandma or cousin living in Venezuela or that they know a guy that knows a guy that is living there. Similarly, I’ve heard many stories of Portuguese families that after spending a few decades in Venezuela then they come back to Portugal with a reasonable capital and have managed to settle down and also many Portuguese families living in Venezuela coming every year to spend the summer in Portugal especially in Funchal and Aveiro.

I have to admit that being Venezuelan in this country actually helps a lot; it helps to break the ice and is always great to have something in common when you meet someone for the first time especially if it’s something to do with family! Lastly, one of my biggest surprises was that I found out that the best bakery in Coimbra sells Venezuelans pastries and I discovered that is owned by a “luso-venezuelano” and to be honest the bakery looks, smells and feels just like a bakery in Caracas!