hemetrorumblesbelowandthe
soundcarriesuptothetopfloorof
this18th-centurybuildingwithits
facadeclingingontotheremaining
azulejos(ceramictiles)Portugalis
famousfor.I gazeoutthewindow
inthelivingroomofourapartmentwithitsskinnybal-
conythatbarelyfitsa bodysidewaysatthescenesof
lifebelowaroundPraçadaFigueira.Atangleofclass
andethnicities,touristsandlocals,battery-operated
tuk-tuksandtramsintersectinriotoussplendour.
I lookdown– toofamiliartobea visitor,tooforeign
tonavigatetheintimaciesofconversationswhispered
inPortuguese.Therearefewervisiblewashinglines
withmulti-huedlaundrydancinginthesunshineon
thepublicfaceofthebuildingshere,unlikeinAlfama,
Graçaandelsewhere.Butbehindthebuild-
ingsandinoursharedcourtyards,theact
ofbalancingononefootandhangingover
precariouslymustbepractiseddaily.There
areplentyofcasualties fortheuntrained
hand–severalsinglesocksdotmycourt-
yard.Havinganaversiontoheights,I am
gladmydancewithdeathwhilenegotiating
sheetsonthelineisconductedawayfrom
theglareoftoomanyeyes.Withtheeco-
nomicrecoverypost-2015,therearemoreof
usinLisbonnowwalkingthisroadofdual
homes,dualrealities.Andperilouswashinglines.
Downonthesquare,skateboarderstumblearound
thestatueofKingJohnI, fatherofInfanteD.Henrique,
knowntousasHenrytheNavigator,whoseobsession
withtheMuslimtraderoutesinAfricaeventuallyledto
bothslavesandgoldenteringPortugalinthemid1400s.
AsPortugal’sill-gottenwealthincreased,Northernand
WesternAfricacrumbledinresponse.It’simpossible
toliveinLisbon,withitssizablecommunitiesfrom
theformercoloniesofAngola,CapeVerde,SãoTomé,
MozambiqueandGoa,andnotgrapple with Portugal’s
power-drunkyearsofcolonialism.
This vast public square below my window was
oncethesiteofAllSaintsHospitalandlatera covered
farmer’smarket.Soares&Rebelo,oneofthelastre -
mainingseed-and-grainshopsthatthemarketusedto
supplysitsaroundthecornertotheleft,miraculous-
ly still trading, next to a growing number of athleisure
Hangingoutthewindowfromherfourth-floorLisbonapartment,
IshayGovender-Ypma contemplates history, identity and laundry.
THE LAUNDRY LINE
T
outletsandvegancafés.AndbetweenHenry’sheydayandthatof
thefarmersandmerchantsonPraçadaFigueira,onesignificant
eventoccurred:thegreatearthquakeof1755.Themajorityofthe
city,includingthehospital,wasdamagedbeyondrepairandhad
tobedemolishedandrebuiltortransformed.Ourbuilding,one
oftheuniformfour-storeysonthesquare,isanexampleofone
ofthefirstmodelsofearthquake-resistanttechnology.Backthen,
inthetestingphase,thearmy(onhorses)issaidtohavestomped
aroundPraçadeFigueiratosimulateanearthquake.Listeningto
themetrorattlethedoorframes every hour, I often wonder about
theefficacyofthoseefforts.
Nearby,behindRossioSquare,membersoftheAfricandias-
poracongregateclosetomyfavouriteginjinha(cherrybrandy)
hole-in-the-wallkiosk,a bargainat€1a shot,withorwithoutthe
booze-drenched cherries.They wear vibrantoutfitsfromtheir
homelands, deepinanimatedconversationinfrontoftheirmodest
pilesofokra,greensandherbs.Inthe 12 years
I’vebeenvisitingLisbon,I’venevergathered
thecouragetointerruptthemwitha question.
Whereareyoufrom,I imaginemyselfasking,
followedbyanexplanationthatmyhometown
is on the east coast of their southern-most
neighbour.Yes,Indian.My peoplearrivedin
1860 onsteamshipstoworkfortheBritishon
thecanelands and railways...Ah, youknow
aboutapartheid,ofcourse.Butherewearein
thisplace,connectedbymemoriesofAfrica.I’ll
takesomeokra,obrigada. Howdoyouprepare
it?Soundsdelicious.It’ssonicetomeetyou.Instead,I returnmy
shotglassandin3 minutesI’mclimbingthefourflightsofstairs
toourapartmentwithmythoughtslikeliveeelstiedina bundle.
I openthewindowoutback.Thewashinglineishungwith
sheetsandduvetcovers,pillowcases,socksandtwopairsofjeans.
I leanover,onefootrootedfirmly,theotherhoistedupasI bend
overthefarthestline.I removea pillowcaseandthepegfree-falls
totheground.I retreat.I acknowledgeit’sgoingtotake a little more
practice for me to pull the washing in like a local.IshayGovender-Ypmais a freelance
food,cultureandtraveljournalist(and
formerlawyer)whoexaminesstorieswith
a stronghumanandsocial-justiceangle.
Betweenassignments,shesplitshertime
betweenCapeTownandLisbon.Herbook
Curry:Stories& RecipesAcrossSouth
Africa(Human& Rousseau,2017)features
recipesandconversationswithcooks.
Follow @IshayGovender on socialmedia.THEACTOF
BALANCINGON
ONEFOOTAND
HANGINGOVER
PRECARIOUSLY
MUSTBE
PRACTISED DAILY.visi.co.zaAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019
�ISIVOICES
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