Manuel Viegas Carrascalão

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Manuel Viegas Carrascalão
Born(1901-10-24)24 October 1901
São Brás de Alportel,
 Portugal
Died24 October 1977(1977-10-24) (aged 76)
Lisbon,
Portugal
NationalityPortuguese
ChildrenManuel Carrascalão,
Mário Viegas Carrascalão,
João Viegas Carrascalão
Parents
  • Manuel Viegas Carrascalão (father)
  • Maria Faustina Cavaco (mother)

Manuel Viegas Carrascalão (24 October 1901 – 24 October 1977) was a Portuguese journalist and trade union leader.

Biography[]

Manuel Viegas Carrascalão was born on 24 October 1901 to Manuel Viegas Carrascalão and Maria Faustina Cavaco.[1]

At the age of 12, he became an apprentice in the Manuel Fagundes de Almeida composition workshop. Carrascalão created the local weekly newspaper Ecos do Sul in São Brás de Alportel, but Fagundes was later arrested for political reasons and the newspaper had to close on 20 November 1913. Carrascalão moved to Lisbon and became a journalist and union leader. In 1920 and 1922, he was arrested for an assault. In December 1924, Carrascalão came under the influence of the anarcho-syndicalist General Confederation of Labour (CGT) and the Syndicalist Youth Federation (FJS).

In 1925, Carrascalão became general secretary of FJS and participated in a CGT rally in Portimão in January. He was one of the most active participants in the first youth conference in Lisbon, from 22–30 March 1925, organized by the FJS. In April, there was a dispute with the deputy secretary of the FJS. Manuel Augusto Vasconcelos Silveira resigned from his post alleging that he disliked Carrascalão's attitude, partly because Carrascalão seemed to want sole decision-making authority. Carrascalão participated in CGT activities on 1 May in Setúbal, but he was arrested again in the same year for a bomb attack and accused of belonging to the Red Legion. He was incarcerated at the Monsanto Fort in Benfica. In September 1926, a military court sentenced Carrascalão to six years in exile for being a member of the Red Legion. The Supreme Court of Justice upheld the sentence in December.

On 14 April 1927 Carrascalão was deported to Portuguese Timor with 63 others on board the Pêro de Alenquer. The trip took them to Cape Verde, Portuguese Guinea (where some prisoners landed) and Mozambique. Upon his arrival in Timor on 25 September 1927 Carrascalão was arrested in Aipelo prison but released in 1928 due to good behaviour.[1][2][3] In exile, he moved to Venilale, where he taught Portuguese and earned his living as a carpenter and bricklayer. There he met the young Timorese, Marcelina Guterres, and married her; the marriage was considered inappropriate by Portuguese colonial masters. There were 14 children from the marriage.

Soon after his arrival in Timor in 1931, deportee, Arnaldo Simões Januário founded the Timor Libertarian Alliance (ALT), which had links with the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI), and published an anarchist newspaper. Carrascalão participated in the movement and therefore was arrested in November 1933 and deported to Atauro Island, with his family and other suspects. Manuel Carrascalão, his third son, was born in the same year. Carrascalão's fifth son, Mário, was born on the island Uai-Tali-Bu'u. Soon after, Carrascalão started working at the state farm Granja Eduardo Marques, in Suco Leotala, near Liquiçá. In 1941, he established himself as foreman.

In 1942, the Japanese Empire launched an occupation of Portuguese Timor. Instead of fleeing, Carrascalão turned against the occupants. Early 1942, he was arrested by the Japanese, along with Sergeant Mortágua, the local administrator, and the missionary Padre Madeira. Carrascalão broke free only four days later. On 30 January 1943 he became a member of the volunteer column under the command of Lieutenant "Liberato." Carrascalão was again captured by the Japanese and detained for two years in a concentration camp.

Japan surrendered in August 1945. Portugal regained control of its colony in late September. Carrascalão was rehabilitated and he and his family were allowed to return to Portugal onboard the ship Angola with Governor Manuel de Abreu Ferreira de Carvalho and 160 other Portuguese people. On 15 February 1946 the Angola arrived in Lisbon. There followed a reception with the dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, who wanted Carrascalão returned to Timor. Carrascalão received the Granja Eduardo Marques as a gift, which was restructured and renamed the Algarve Farm. Carrascalão also bought the Quinta do Anjo farm and transferred it to his wife so that she could be economically independent.

The Algarve Farm, with 386 hectares (950 acres), is still family owned. Here Carrascalão cultivated coffee, rubber and tea, becoming a respected member of the colony. Carrascalão founded the Commercial, Agricultural and Industrial Association of Timor (ACAIT) in 1953.[4]

In 1975, Carrascalão had to go to Portugal for medical treatment because he had lung cancer. The Carnation Revolution had overthrown the dictatorship and Timor-Leste was preparing for independence. His sons Manuel, Mário and João founded the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT),[2] which competed with Fretilin for political leadership. The UDT tried to take power in a coup but was defeated in the short civil war with Fretilin.[3] The three brothers had to flee to Indonesian West Timor. On 28 November Fretilin unilaterally proclaimed the independence of Timor-Leste.[5] On 7 December, Indonesia began an open invasion of Timor-Leste, citing an alleged request for help from UDT.[6]

Carrascalão died at Rua Monte Olivete, in Lisbon, on 24 October 1977.

References[]

  1. ^ a b Niner, Sara (2010). Xanana: leader of the struggle for independent Timor-Leste. North Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing. p. 78. ISBN 9781921509087. OCLC 644071352.
  2. ^ a b Francisco A. Riscardo, Brigadeiro (1981). Relatório da Comissão de Análise e Esclarecimento do Processo de Descolonização de Timor (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Presidência do Conselho de Ministros. pp. 31–32. OCLC 417445478.
  3. ^ a b Lemos Pires, Mário (1991). Descolonização de Timor: Missão Impossível? (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Publicações Dom Quixote. pp. 260–262. ISBN 9789724203508. OCLC 26857911.
  4. ^ de Abreu, Paradela. "General Alberty Correia, Governador de Timor, 1963–1967". Os Últimos Governadores do Império (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Edições Neptuno. p. 321. ISBN 9789729019678. OCLC 32973522.
  5. ^ Guterres, Fátima (2014). Timor: Paraíso Violentado, Memórias de um passado. Lisbon: Lidel – Edições Técnicas. pp. 135–136. ISBN 9789897520983. OCLC 893405777.
  6. ^ Guterres, Fátima (2014). Timor: Paraíso Violentado, Memórias de um passado. Lisbon: Lidel – Edições Técnicas. pp. 147–151. ISBN 9789897520983. OCLC 893405777.
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