Borba_en
The N255 municipal road, which collapsed in 2018 due to the landslide at a nearby marble quarry, is a thorn in the side of the inhabitants of Borba. This open crater increased distances and further isolated a population who say they were abandoned by the central government long ago.
The trip to Vila Viçosa, once a straight line that meant it took just over five minutes to go to the market or have a day out, now requires a detour and takes half an hour.
“Couldn’t the State have used its machines to cover the hole? They talked about building a bridge, but so far, nothing… They declared Borba a city, but it’s not even fit to be a town. Services are shutting down.
They built a multipurpose arena that no one uses, the market only gets used in the winter when the weather forces the stalls inside, because it’s hard for old people to get up the stairs.” José Panasco (64, retired civil construction worker) gives his analysis of the situation. But many inhabitants repeat the same complaints.
The entrance of the municipal market, the multipurpose arena and the primary school are decorated with signs with the logos of European funds giving more thanks to Europe than the people who live there feel. For the inhabitants of Borba, the European Union is a type of distant cousin you feel you owe nothing and only think of occasionally, and not always in a good way.
Matriz is the historic centre of the city, and the largest of the four civil parishes that comprise the municipality. It also was in the five Portuguese parishes with the lowest voter turnout in the 2019 European elections.
3387
52% of the population of the city of Borba lives in the parish of Matriz.
Source: Census 2021
65%
The majority of residents are over 40 years old. Only 15% of the population are under 18.
Source: Census 2021
José, 64 years old, retired civil construction worker
“I vote for the same party in all the elections, but I won’t tell you which! Only in local and parliamentary elections… I don’t think the others matter.”
“Thirty years ago this place was on the up. Then came the Euro, supermarkets, people stopped going to the market… Everything has got worse since joining the European Union. I tell my children to leave, what are they going to stay here and do? I always vote, except in the European elections.”
Carla, 51 years old, pre-school teacher
90%
In Portugal in the European elections, Borba is in the top five for abstention. Nine of every ten inhabitants did not vote in the 2019 elections.
Source: Secretariat General Ministry of the Interior
< 35%
Abstention in the 2024 parliamentary elections (31%) and 2021 local elections (34.9%) is lower than the national average (34% and 46% respectively).
Source: Secretariat General Ministry of the Interior
“I don’t care who wins, I only go if I feel like it. I always vote for the Socialist Party. When I was young, they said it was the party for agricultural workers… We didn’t know anything.”
Olímpia, 90 years old, retired small-scale farmer
11%
Matriz has three times more workers in agriculture and fishing than the national average. (3%).
Source: Census 2021
“Politicians sit in their offices making laws, but they don’t know how it works in reality. They are so far removed from the territories that are subject to these laws. We have an elderly population and we always lived from agriculture, today young people get trained and have nowhere to work. We need measures that get the region moving, that incentivise people to live here.”
Paulo, 53 years old, agricultural technician
“I have voted for all the parties now, but I’ve not been happy with any of them. Politicians talk a lot, they remember everything, except those who fought in the colonies. Year on year, the top-up for our pension, for being a former combatant, goes down and down. Even today, Angola sometimes haunts me in my dreams.”
José, 79 years old, retired
54
Foreigners make up only 2% of the total population of the parish (3,387 people).
Source: Census 2021
“I’ve been here for ten months. There’s nothing going on and that’s just what I need. It’s quiet here, full of old people, but I like it, you have a good quality of life. I don’t have anything to do, nowhere to spend money, I can save what I earn. I miss dancing, I love going to clubs and here there aren’t any. Sometimes, a musician friend of mine does live music shows and I go there.”
Silvana, 59 years old, café employee
“I’ve lived in Borba for 23 years and my son lives with his father because my house isn’t fit for a child. When there’s no work at the farm, I receive income support. The last time I voted was for the mayor, but he didn’t give me work, I won’t vote for him again. I’m called up all the time for courses, but never for work. What I’d like to do is to work for the Parish Council sweeping the streets.”
Susana, 47 years old, seasonal agricultural worker
5%
The unemployment rate is lower than the national average (8%).
Source: Census 2021
53%
The percentage of inhabitants who completed obligatory schooling is higher than the median for Portuguese parishes (47%).
Source: Census 2021
“I usually vote, but not so much in the European elections. I know it’s silly. Political promises get me down; I’m always hopeful, but then I see they do nothing. The roads to Borba are a disgrace. And the quarry road? It used to take five minutes to get to Vila Viçosa, now it takes over a quarter of an hour. Prices have gone up, people don’t have money to spend and so quality doesn’t matter anymore. They stopped buying at the market, people just go to supermarkets.”
Laureta, 54 years old, stallholder
“I can’t imagine living here, there’s nothing to do. Some of my school friends went to Évora, others to Lisbon, even to the Algarve… Most left Borba. Some want to come back, but no one is putting forward initiatives that would make young people stay.”
Pedro, 20 years old, university student
menu principal
main menu