Francisco Manso signs this opinion piece where he explores popular bullfighting in the border region of Sabugal and Guarda. The article crosses local history, anthropology and community memory around the bullfighting traditions of the region.
The Capeia Raiana emerges as a central and unique element of this reflection, representing a distinct form of bullfighting practiced in this border zone between Portugal and Spain. The old bullrings that marked the regional landscape are equally evoked as physical testimonies of this cultural heritage.
The author mobilizes a quote from Charles Chaplin to frame the universalist dimension of bullfighting, noting that "in the races everything comes together: color, joy, tragedy, bravery, ingenuity". This reference serves as an anchor for a broader reflection on the cultural significance of these spectacles.
The article thus proposes an identity-based reading of the border bullfighting traditions, situating them simultaneously as a local phenomenon and as an expression of broader cultural values, where collective memory, spectacle and community identity intertwine.
