A recurring theme for most of the foreigners I meet in Portugal is that of ‘giving back’ to the Portuguese culture they love and that has accepted them so graciously and generously. Now this, of course, isn’t a particular concern for every immigrant – especially those surviving day to day or others using the country as a steppingstone – but it is, to me, a persistent theme noted over time and in many encounters with grateful incomers.
Also worthy of note is the Portuguese response to such intimations, which, according to national pride and politeness, sees our effusive urges as acceptable but not that necessary. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever tried to out-gift or one-up-thank a Portuguese host, having accepted an invitation into their familial inner circle, only to discover that surrender is a nobler response than an ostentatious display of gratitude – a lesson hard to learn for the natives of transactional cultures.
On the one hand then, it’s fine to be grateful, but on the other, realise as well that any effort to balance the books of social karma is best approached with great sensitivity over the precious time it takes to build and enjoy relationships. So avoid a more momentary winner-gives-all approach that will likely leave your local and national host unable to fully accept your gesture, albeit well-intended.
I am sure this is equally true then of the grander ‘giving-back’, which many foreigners I’ve met want to do, from their great wealth of skill and knowledge, that they suspect might be a blessing or bonus, an improvement even, in the society they now live and breathe. And like the microcosm of minor social integration and appreciation, the macro will also be a matter of finding the right way to give the gift that might enhance your relationship without bringing awkwardness and embarrassment.
In other words, when your host effectively says “I am fine, thank you”, how do you add to and complement their state without making them wrong in some way or causing outright offence? Since landing here, this has been my personal intention, and more recently better understood. I can now see how the couple of ‘Expat Angel’ type of initiatives that I’ve been part of – where well-meaning, usually retired expats are only too happy to give of their corporate knowledge and experience – have shriveled on the vine instead of making fine and convivial wine.
Before I continue with my journey into the nuance that might hold a constructive breakthrough on this invisible stand-off, let me share with you the numbers and sheer potential energy that is building. It can’t have escaped your notice that pretty much one in 10 Portuguese residents is a newcomer, variously describing themselves as expat, immigrant, foreigner or estrangeiro (and no doubt described as many other things by the indigenous and longer-standing population).
Whilst Portugal has a predominantly Portuguese population (around 85-90%), it also hosts this significant and growing diversity of nationalities who form part of today’s topic. Brazilians are the largest foreign group, followed by communities from former colonies in Africa, among them Angola and Cape Verde, UK exiles like me, various South Asian communities, and many from other parts of Europe like Italy, France, Ukraine and Romania.
While it’s hard to get an accurate total of nationalities, it is fair to say that we have quite a ‘united nations’ of our own here in Portugal that is an understated and generally good example of multi-cultural cohabitation that we can not only be proud of but see as a building block for something greater. Arguably, if we don’t look upon it positively, intelligently and resourcefully, we might end up like other nation states who seem to be currently backing out of cultural cul-de-sacs they have unconsciously been creating for decades.
Standout stats (according to my Grok prompts) show that Portugal’s foreign population has doubled in a decade, transforming drastically domestic demographics as the likes of us are “attracted by quality of life, culture, and landscapes”, noting that “in essence, while ethnically homogeneous at its core, Portugal is home to people from nearly every corner of the globe, making it a truly multicultural nation.”
“As of 2025, there are approximately 191 different nationalities living in Portugal. While the vast majority of the population is ethnically Portuguese, the country has seen a record-breaking surge in its foreign-resident population, which now exceeds 1.5 million people,” says Elon’s AI.
Back to how this veritable reservoir of human potential and talent can ‘improve’ its host nation, and I’d dare to suggest that this is no longer optional but absolutely necessary. The time may have come for us to show the people whose culture we are attracted to, and thrive in, what we can add, doing our utmost best to not be patronising, colonial and disrespectful.
Sure, you’ll have also noticed, if in any way wishing to proactively add value, the “that’s not how we do things” or “it doesn’t work like that here” retort, both out loud or in the form of ‘glass walls’. But again, I’ll be daring and suggest that not attempting to contribute is far worse than getting some push-back and being put off – for both foreigners and natives alike.
For Portugal and the Portuguese, may I humbly and in good heart suggest the best way to handle and manage the wrinkles and rancour that foreign integration can bring is to allow the newbies to give of themselves. Please let us be our own gift to you and your culture, whereby you can enjoy the best that we have to offer our now collective space, and coach us in how to give of ourselves in such a way that is of mutual benefit. An intention, good in origin and nature, and of possible universal benefit, can become malignant if thwarted.
And more importantly for us foreigners, who can determine and take responsibility for our behaviour, it’s important to be seen to be willing and able to help, even if the response remains a calm and polite “não”. Especially now, with immigration at staggering levels and intensity, we must show and share ourselves – at our best – if the continuing experiment of inward movement of people is going to continue, with some of the inevitable friction and strain that has been revealed in recent times, often understandably, and occasionally nastily.
We foreigners must, in my view, also do more to know each other and relate across our imported national boundaries and cultural silos. With most of the world’s nations and cultures represented in some way here in Portugal, there is, if nothing else, at least the potential for an incredible annual festival, a true celebration of diversity – ‘The United Nations of Portugal’ – and what a weekend that would be. And with that authentic, not ideological diversity, we might also realise an incredible, resourceful power that one in 10 of any population would have anywhere in the world – not only in representing itself as an influential lobby (if appropriately aligned and organised), but also as a positive force in the future of Portugal. A force that might become a next, new and proud page in the country’s history, and not a painful one that we are quick to turn, because we lazily and unconsciously failed to co-create a future together, by thinking only of the past and ourselves.
Carl Munson’s previous article: The fight for inner light
