"Lady of the Sea"

This was the title of the song yesterday interpreted by Vânia Fernandes at the Eurovision song contest. And what a magnificent interpretation it was...Portugal won yesterday! It won a beautiful song to his already dense repertoire of songs, full of heart and passion with a theme that totally speaks to our soul: a song about the sea and its mystical force; a song with the warm sound of the guitar on the background, the romantic lyrics and the powerful voice of Vania, sometimes resembling Dulce Pontes. The almost sacred and somewhat solemn way the dancers stood along with her also pleased me. This is the kind of music WE like and the kind of songs our soul needs- cherishes it! I don´t even understand why we waist our time in these kind of contests (I must confess I don´t like it, never did and never will- no matter what happens, even If one day Portugal wins I will still not like it!! It´s a complete joke....). We don´t need to prove or show anything: why should something so precious be shared with people who prefer butt-shaking-american-inspired crap? Beautiful faces, empty songs... I am proud we stood loyal to our culture, to our language, to our feelings and to our authenticity! That´s the way to go! This same authenticity and faith on ourselves led us long time ago to explore the world through the unknown, mysterious, infinite sea! The poets romantically say that the Portuguese coastline resembles that of a human face looking to the sea, or in other words, having his back turned to Europe, like Fernando Pessoa brilliantly expresses on the following poem:

The Field of the Castles

Europe lies, reclining upon her elbows:

From East to West she stretches, staring,

And romantic tresses fall over

Greek eyes, reminding.

The left elbow is stepped back;

The other laid out at an angle.

The first says Italy where it leans;

This one England where, set afar,

The hand holds the resting face.

Enigmatic and fateful she stares

Out West, to the future of the past.

The staring face is Portugal.

in "Message"

I guess that´s a big true and after these "European assemblies" like the singing contest (where we expect to see the "friends" we have) we get the weird feeling we were always alone and that we don´t really belong to Europe. We belong instead to Africa (Cape Verde, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, S. Tomé e Principe...), to America (Brasil), to India (Goa, Damão, Dio...), we belong to east Timor and to Macau. Our connections, our roots are far way from Europe... our friends, the real ones, who share our culture, our music our language, who appreciate our traditions they live far from here and we are always "looking" to embrace them... For a long time we lost the discernment to see what really suits our character; we were pressured to adopt foreign cultural models and ways of living and we were "forced" to eventually adapting to them but we remained always unsatisfied with that, like a custom that never fits, we were tortured with this discomforting feeling of never being really a part of the clan! But I feel things are changing and we are starting to "see" again what suits us, what we really are and what we really need in this stupid massified society; I see a light on the end of the tunnel: may the music feed our starved soul so that we regain the courage to make it our own! And like the same Fernando Pessoa once said "Portugal must yet be fulfilled..."

Lady of the seas
Before you, I'm fallen
Who comes and takes half of life and peace
From this table, from this house, now lost?
Love, what's happened with you?

Lady of the sea
Before you, my soul is empty
Who comes and takes what is mine?
Oh high sea, bring me
My endless love

CHORUS

Ah, black waters, waves of sorrow
They froze the fire in my eyes
He's not sailing anymore
And nobody sees you crying
Lady of the sea