Kriolu Scenes in Lisbon: Where Migration Experiences and Housing Policy Meet

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, the Lisbon housing authorities have targeted "improvised" neighborhoods (e.g., poorly serviced neighborhoods with limited infrastructure) for removal or renewal into housing projects called "social" neighborhoods. Many of the neighborhoods undergoing transition are inhabited by Kriolu-speaking Portuguese of Cape Verdean descent. I analyze residents' responses to these changes, particularly the responses of young male rappers. My analysis reveals that rap music in these transforming neighborhoods is a means for making "Kriolu scenes"-expressions highlighting Cape Verdeans' experiences of Portuguese colonialism, postcolonialism, marginalization due to language and race, and now urban displacement. They are also expressions of belonging and cultural citizenship, and exercises of emplacement within the changing city. Kriolu scenes highlight an important but underappreciated role that language plays in shaping urban space. Methodologically, I draw from archival research, fieldwork in Lisbon neighborhoods, and interviews with local rappers of Cape Verdean descent.