Portuguese | Mauritian
I identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community who is mixed-race; half Portuguese, half Mauritian, British born and Christian.
My Father is Mauritian, my Mother is Portuguese. Originally born in Mozambique, she grew up in Swaziland until 18, returning to Portugal briefly before immigrating to London. My parents met in the UK at the age of 20 after having both immigrated to London a couple years prior on their own.
Growing up, I never felt that there were any clashes of cultures in our household and felt a healthy combination of both Portuguese and Mauritian culture at home. Although, I felt it a lot easier to immerse myself in Portuguese culture, as I grew up hearing a mixture of English and Portuguese in our home, with my wider family on my Mother’s side being heavily involved in our lives. Both my parents spoke English to my sister and I, so unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to learn French, Creole or Portuguese as children. I think this is the only part of growing up in our household that I missed out on. However, I do still have a strong desire to learn all languages and am currently learning Portuguese to hopefully immigrate there one day, currently holding dual nationality; British and Portuguese.
My view on interracial relationships is that there are no negatives in my eyes. I have always felt so strongly that interracial relationships breed open minded and well-rounded children, hoping that this will in turn birth more tolerant and accepting generations to come. However, in comparison to my Grandparent’s generation, I think interracial relationships at that time were considered ‘unconventional’. Although, I assume my parents’ generation’s view on interracial relationships is a lot more relaxed, however this is dependent on the country you’re based in and the cultural norms at that time.
My culture has never affected the way I’ve chosen my partners. In my family’s eyes, I think I have always been a little unconventional in my choice of partners, but for me – love is not blind, but it does see no race, gender or disability. The older generation of my family are somewhat traditional in their cultural expectations of the younger generation’s partners, however as times move on, I hope to continue educating friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances on the different ways that people live their life and their entitlement to free speech and tolerance, if acceptance is too hard to reach.
My whole life, strangers I have come across have always found it very difficult to not hold me to 1 nation or culture, playing guessing games and it’s always amused me to hear the vast differences when my hair is naturally curly vs straightened. When moving to University, I was given the opportunity to learn about both Mauritian and Portuguese heritage and history with fresh eyes, having spent years trying to assimilate to English culture that I have never felt at one with. Upon reflection, being mixed-race is the initial reason for my open-minded fascination with other cultures, always striving to understand and experience as many as I can; acknowledging the great privilege that this is.
Having left London at 13 and moving to the North of England, I would say that I faced challenges due to colour of skin, as opposed to being of mixed identity. For any child moving out of London into a rural area, it’s such a culture of shock for the self in leaving a multicultural city to a village of none other than one. The most unpleasant of experiences are ones that were very eye opening. I look back on my childhood from ages 13 – 17 and wouldn’t change the experiences I have had, as they’ve shaped the thick skin I have today and perseverance to be an advocate of racial equality through my studies and work.
I have visited Portugal several times, however, have yet to visit Mauritius. Due to being out of contact with my Father’s side of the family for several years, it has been difficult to learn about that side of my cultural identity growing up. However, this has given me the opportunity to reclaim and educate myself in both cultures on my own terms as the years go on.
My outlook on my mixed-race ethnicity has differed greatly from when I was a child compared to now, as an adult. As a child I held onto a lot of confusion and had a great sense of lost identity in that I didn’t belong to just 1 country or nation. A pivotal moment for me was moving to University and having the opportunity to explore different cultures and fall back in love with my heritage, no longer feeling the need to assimilate. As I grow older, I feel that I am only falling more in love with Mauritian and Portuguese culture and hope that this only continues.
If, as a child, I was asked if I would like to be reborn, I would have wished to be born White. To have been born able to fully assimilate myself. However, asked now, I would not wish for myself to be any different than I stand now, but to have taken the opportunity growing up to learn all the languages at my disposal. I instead am wishing for continued personal growth in my life, with new and more open-minded experiences to come.
From personal experience, I would urge you to take every opportunity you can to immerse yourself in other cultures whilst you have the chance. Given the current political climate in the UK; with the ongoing Brexit divide, LGBTQ+ and race related hate crimes on the rise and much more. Now more than ever populations need to gain a greater understanding of one another to live less divisive lives, to be more tolerant and less entitled; give up the hate that is being held so tightly at this time.