“We are the Children of Albuquerque!” I first heard this expression during a friendly—and educative—conversation with Martin Theseira and Peter Gomes, two leaders of the Portuguese-Malaysian community in Malacca, after a most wonderful dinner at the local Restoran de Lisbon.
But, wait…, Malacca? Where is this place? And what were you doing there? And, hmm…, Albuquerque…, is this a guy or a place? And Portuguese-Malaysians? Please explain!
Ok, ok. Starting from the very beginning: Malacca—technically, Malacca City—is a fairly large town (app. 500,000 inhabitants) in southern Malaysia. It is located on the country’s western coast, facing the Indian Ocean, somewhere south of Kuala Lumpur and north of Singapore—i.e., smack in the middle of the Malacca Strait! This location is relevant because this stretch of water—a narrow one (hence its Strait designation…)—happens to be a rather strategic one: formed between the western coast of the Malay Peninsula and the eastern coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, the Strait has historically been the most important shipping lane between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. Hence the town’s extremely rich—and well preserved—history! So much so that Malacca is classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
I had a chance to visit Malacca during my Round-the-World trip of late 2019. The main call to me—much more so than the town’s famed beauty—was the fact that Malacca’s and Portugal’s histories were tied together for most of the 16th century and a good chunk of the 17th. Probably even more important, I had read that some of this Portuguese Heritage had persevered to our days. So, I grabbed that chance with both hands, and Malacca got added to my itinerary.
The Portuguese Link
But before we go any further, a tiny bit of “history!” The Portuguese conquered the town in 1511, led by Afonso de Albuquerque himself, the Governor of Portuguese India at the time (and formerly the Captain-Major of the Seas of Arabia; the biggest badass of his days—greatly feared by his enemies, yet greatly loved by all his men).
The conquest of Malacca—and with it, the control of the major shipping lane between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans—was a part of Albuquerque’s strategy to ensure Portugal’s dominance of the maritime trade of spices on the Indian Ocean. (Albuquerque had already led the conquest of Ormuz, in 1507, thus controlling the maritime traffic between the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf).
Portugal didn’t last long in control of Malacca: by the middle of the 17th century, they had been replaced by the Dutch (who were in turn replaced by the English, sometime already in the 19th century). But the Portuguese left in place an incredibly rich heritage, one so strong that survives to our days.
“Portuguese” Malacca of Today
At the end of Jalan D’Albuquerque, where this street meets the waters of the Strait of Malacca, one finds the Medan Portugis (i.e., the Portuguese Square). In the middle of it all, a replica of Lisbon’s Christ the King statue (itself a replica of Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue). You are at the heart of Malacca’s Portuguese Settlement. This small ‘hood of Malacca is where a good share of the Portuguese-Malaysians of this town—those who self-designate themselves as the Children of Albuquerque—live, work, pray, socialize, speak their language, et cetera.
Kristang
Yes, you read it right: speak their very own language: Papia Kristang. Occasionally also referred to as “Portugues di Melaka” (Malacca Portuguese) or “Linggu Mai” (Mother Language). …But more commonly, just plain old Kristang. From the word “Christian,” the “official” religion of Portugal back in the days… But contrary to popular belief, Kristang is not “16th century Portuguese.” It is rather a Creole language derived from older varieties of Portuguese, mixed with some Malay and a few other local languages.
As it is the case with other old languages, it is rather funny to see how Kristang delt with advances of technology. So, “Airplane,” which certainly did not exist in the 16th century, became “Barku abuah” (as in “Barco a voar,” i.e., “Flying boat”); and “Train” became “Kareta fogu” (“Carreta fogo,” meaning “Fire cart”). Other curiosities of the Kristang for a Portuguese speaker: “To pay a debt” is “Fichah buraku” (“Fechar buraco,” meaning “To close a hole”); and “To copulate” is “Fazeh obra” (“Fazer obra,” meaning “To do work”). Lastly, it is also interesting to see how Kristang delt with the confusion between “Pull” and “Push:” “Pusah pa tras” (“Puxa para tras,” meaning “Push backwards”) and “Pusah pa diante” (“Puxa para adiante,” meaning “Push forward”).
Closing Thoughts
Let me just start my Closing Thoughts by telling you this: what a beautiful place this town is, period!
Then, let me comment about one of the things that impressed me the most as I went around talking to people on the Medan Portugis: People proud of their Portuguese heritage!
And lastly, as I sit here now writing about my time in charming “Portuguese” Malacca, I cannot help but remember that most wonderful curry I had for dinner at the Restoran de Lisbon… And then that great conversation with Mr. Theseira (i.e., Teixeira) and Mr. Gomes… Memories like these, that’s why we travel! I cannot wait for this Pandemic thing to end.
