With the never-ending British weather shenanigans, especially throughout summer, many in Black and Brown communities struggle with seasonal depression or the lack of vitamin D (we’re simply not made for this). Inevitably, people head to different countries across Europe and beyond for a glimpse of a scorching sun, the good vibes and enjoyment they’ve sought all year round.

From AfroNation in Portugal or Fusion Afro Festival in Switzerland to DLT in Malta, the UK has become anything but appealing, and we are running from it. Coincidently, due to the fact I was born and raised in Lisbon, one of the hottest spots in Europe throughout summer and a predilection for the British public, every year for the past eleven years I’ve been bombarded with messages and calls from my closest Brits requesting suggestions and ideas on what to do as soon as they land in Portugal. 

I love that more and more Black Brits get to run away from this ghetteaux-babylonian nation and its dreadful weather, even if for a short period, but as a Luso-African immigrant born and raised in one of the most racist nations in Europe, it pains me that somehow, the place that has led to many of my traumas, and it still does for those that live there, is the same place my Black counterparts in the UK choose as the perfect getaway or even glamourise as the ideal “ex-pat” go-to.