African Presence
A walk in search of what remains, in the city’s memory, of Lisbon’s African presence.
WhenAny day, on request
Duration3 hours
LevelModerate · all ages
PricePrice on request
Europe’s first African neighbourhood grew up in Lisbon in the 16th century. Called Mocambo, it was home to enslaved people as well as free men and women, whose work filled the streets of Lisbon. Come and find out where this neighbourhood was, along with many other places that mark the African presence in Lisbon.
Foreigners visiting Lisbon were surprised to find the streets full of men and women of darker skin tones. The chronicler Damião de Góis put the population of African origin at up to 20%, of whom only one in five were free. These figures, unique in Europe at the time, gave the city much more than literary exoticism, and helped make it the first global city. What was life like for the enslaved? And for the freed?
What you’ll see
- Mocambo
- African brotherhoods and their celebrations
- Enslaved, hired-out, free and freed people
- The African presence in the city’s street names
- Famous figures of African origin
- Art and the representation of Africans
- Slavery and its abolition
Book this private tour
We run this tour privately, for your group only, on the day that suits you.
Map from Google Maps. Loading it shares data with Google.
Open in Google Maps →Where we meet
Private tours: we meet at Cais do Sodré.
Questions? Email us at info@lisbonwalker.com.