The article is a chronicle by Álvaro Filho about the removal of the photograph of Vavá, legendary Brazilian two-time world champion footballer, from the wall of the "Vavá" café in Alvalade, Lisbon, after a renovation. The author reflects on the history of the establishment, which since 1958 had paid homage to the Pernambuco athlete and served as a meeting point for political tertúlias during the Portuguese dictatorship. The chronicle uses the absence of the portrait as a metaphor for the gentrification and pasteurization of contemporary Lisbon, where traditions and local histories are lost in the speed of urban transformations, comparing the old Vavá — with its essence and historical strength — to the new space that, despite keeping the name, no longer carries the same identity.
Mensagem de Lisboa02/09/26, 12:55
