Lisbon's Disturbing Transformation: A Brazilian Perspective on the City's Decline

A Heartfelt Reflection on Lisbon

Lisbon, a city once felt like home, now echoes with shadows of discontent. Dark bus stops, littered streets, and homelessness paint a grim picture of a city that has changed drastically. I remember the first time I set foot in Lisbon, two decades ago during the Athens Olympics. The sound of Portuguese felt like music to my ears, a warm embrace of familiarity.

Nostalgia grips me as I reminisce about the charm of Lisbon—its medieval past, the royalty, and tales of knights. Yet now, it seems to mirror the misfortunes of my homeland, Brazil. Buses are perpetually late and overcrowded, leaving passengers stranded like castaways signaling with their phone flashlights.

Traffic jams and blaring horns create a cacophony reminiscent of an apocalyptic scenario, where pedestrians feel more like targets than citizens. The metro system, once a reliable mode of transport, now breeds uncertainty with non-functioning escalators and misleading arrival times.

Garbage piles up on the streets, and rats dance under the moonlight, while the stench of urine lingers in corners, reminiscent of my hometown of Recife. The violence that now pervades the streets is alarming, reminiscent of the dangers faced in Brazil.

Racism, classism, and a rise in xenophobia threaten the fabric of the community. Has Lisbon become a reflection of the chaos we sought to escape? This city, once a sanctuary, now seems to echo the turmoil we left behind.

Lisbon, we didn’t need this change. We were content with the warmth of home without the shadows of despair. It feels unnecessary to push further into the depths of these issues when we were already so close to feeling at home.

A Call for Reflection

As I pen these thoughts, I wonder how we can reclaim the essence of what makes Lisbon beautiful. The city deserves better than this descent into chaos, and we, as its inhabitants, deserve to feel safe and at home once more.