Prince Royal D. Luís Filipe in Africa

The exhibition revisits the historic journey made in 1907 by Prince Royal D. Luís Filipe to several African territories, Portuguese and British. Organized as a geographical and chronological route, it invites visitors to read the different political and diplomatic meanings of that journey.

Bringing together pieces from the documentary and iconographic collection of the Leonor e Sofia Canhota Archive-Library (ARBILESCA), the exhibition combines postcards, newspapers, and photographs to trace an itinerary that goes from everyday life in São Tomé to the military parade in Lourenço Marques, where the Prince was recognized as a political authority by around 20,000 indigenous warriors. The exhibition also includes references to diplomatic meetings with the Mayors of South African cities and the bibliography of figures such as Aires de Ornelas and the Marquês do Lavradio, composing a portrait of a mission conceived to assert the internal image of the monarchical regime and project, abroad, the idea of an imperial Portugal before the great European powers.