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Normal times

Fernanda Mira*

“In ‘normal’ times, we find in the noisy and congested arteries of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, dozens of safari-colored robes, tourists in shorts and caps, on their way to discover the famous ‘Big Five’, the most dangerous animals of the savannah.

The month of July marks the peak of the season, when Americans, Europeans and Chinese are ready to pay a high price to witness in Masai Mara the ‘great migration’, the dangerous crossing of thousands of animals between Tanzania and Kenya. ”

Thus begins a text from the newspaper Le Monde Afrique on the impact of coronavirus in Kenya, one of the most developed countries in Africa thanks to the good use of its tourist potential.

This is an image that can be transposed to any point on the planet whose economies depend on tourism.

Normality never seemed to be the closest step to happiness


Kenya, Indonesia, Macau, Brazil, Italy and… Portugal. Countries that had tourism until a few months ago as an ‘El Dorado’.

I have retained the phrase “in normal times” in this article. In normal times on a trip to the place of excellent tourism in Portugal, the Algarve, on days with hot breezes, big days and almost ground sea, the arteries were as noisy as in Nairobi and the streets would be a Babylon of tongues and costumes.

At the entrance to a store, the face of a man marked by the southern sun looks at me in the hope that I won’t leave without leaving a few euros. Then he told me that at five o’clock that afternoon, it was the only euros that came into the box. “You’re the first person who entered the store today,” he said and I almost saw him tear up. “In normal times …”, he said to me in farewell.

Normality never seemed to me to be the closest step to happiness.

*Publisher of the Portuguese edition of Plataforma

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