A historical map of Macau and Taipa was presented to “the people of Macau” by Stuart Braga last week, during a ceremony commemorating the launch of his book at the Consulate-General of Portugal in Macau. The volume, entitled “Making Impressions: A Portuguese family in Macau and Hong Kong, 1700-1945,” follows the stories of three Portuguese families living in the two territories, and examines the social discrimination faced by Portuguese workers in British Hong Kong.
José Sales Marques, the president of the Institute of European Studies in Macau, spoke at the ceremony. He praised the book’s “beautiful maps, photographs and illustrations” and the fact that it was “very rich in terms of information.”
José Sales Marques, who was the mayor of Macau between 1993 and 2001, added that the book “illustrates in rich detail how the Portuguese-Macanese communities helped Hong Kong to become what it is today [even] though they were socially discriminated against.”
He made reference to a pamphlet written in 1895 by J. P. Braga, grandfather of the author and a central character in “Making Impressions”. The pamphlet was titled “The Rights of Aliens [foreigners] in Hong Kong” and became famous for its criticism of the treatment of non-British workers in the region. Mr Marques made a remark in passing that: “I think someone today should publish the ‘Rights of Aliens in Macau’.”
On the topic of his grandfather, Stuart Braga said that he “sought to represent those that the British Imperial system had ignored; the Chinese and Portuguese and Macanese.” He added: “This book is not only about the members of three families, but the members of a whole community.”
The author expressed his gratitude to all those who had helped with the editing and publication of the book. He said that “Making Impressions” is not so much a historical account, but more of a “celebration of Portugal and its sons and daughters who have made a contribution to civilization in East Asia.”
The chronology of the book ends in 1945. In his speech, Stuart Braga commended the 300 Portuguese who fought in Hong Kong as volunteers during World War II and Macau’s subsequent acceptance of refugees from the area. He adapted a famous Winston Churchill quote when he said that, in reference to the region’s treatment of refugees, “this was Macau’s finest hour.”
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of a framed map of Macau and Taipa dated from 1779 to the book’s chief editor, Rufino Ramos. Stuart Braga said that it originated from the Portuguese community here, and that he had wanted “it to come home to Macau.”
