Quinta do Mocho is a public housing neighborhood in Sacavém, just outside Lisbon. Originally built in the 1990s to rehouse families from informal settlements, it’s one of many bairros sociais that were part of Portugal’s urban social housing policies. The buildings are dense, uniform, and often under-maintained.
The area is home to a large African diaspora, especially Cape Verdean, Angolan, and Guinean-Portuguese families, many of whom arrived during or after the post-colonial migration waves. There’s a strong sense of cultural identity here, with music, food, and shared experience playing a big role in daily life.
Economically, Quinta do Mocho has faced marginalisation, with high unemployment rates and limited access to resources, especially for youth. But it’s also full of underground opportunity: musicians, designers, dancers, and footballers have emerged from this community and gone on to make waves nationally and internationally.
It’s located about 30 minutes on foot from Talude (where the grogue factory is).
Collaboration & Opportunity
Creative Hub: There’s real interest in establishing a dedicated space for local creatives. It looks like a local government-offered venue has fallen through, and the community is exploring renting independently. Supporting fundraising for this could be a winnable issue for the Lisbon Circle.
Side Events for PSF: Artists in the area are open to hosting activations as part of the Road to PSF campaign. There’s potential to collaborate on music, fashion, and cultural showcases.
Marketplace Integration: The decentralised marketplace being developed for the Talude grogue factory could also serve local freelancers—hairdressers, nail artists, clothing makers—by giving them a platform to list and promote their work.
Content Creation: There’s strong enthusiasm for a documentary-style project that captures the culture and stories of the neighbourhood. One local contact is reaching out to a filmmaker who specialises in skate/music videos. If that doesn’t work out, it might be a great opportunity for others in the community to get involved in documenting and storytelling.
Communications & PR
One of the local community leaders would be an excellent guest for an upcoming X Space or in-person event. Given their public profile and local influence, they could also support comms and PR efforts around any local activation we run in Quinta do Mocho.
Next Steps
Community Meeting: Happening at 3pm on August 6, just before the next Lisbon Circle.
The idea is to attend the meeting, then head straight to the Circle and hopefully bring a few people along with us.
I also connected with an arts collective from the area who want to explore collaboration further. There’s strong momentum and interest locally, and I expect a solid turnout.
Please leave any comments if you have ideas or would like to get involved
Notes from the Lisbon circle meeting 10th September. Focus: Planning community collaboration proposal with Quinta do Mocho
Key Issue for the Lisbon Circle
Create real pathways for youth in Quinta do Mocho, off the streets and into opportunities, by empowering and supporting the local creative community.
Support the community in becoming a (semi) autonomous zone through regenerative projects, reclaiming public spaces, and building bottom-up resilience.
Framing
The goal is to support Quinta do Mocho in becoming a (semi-)autonomous zone. Residents are tired of being failed by local government, and we can help empower them through bottom-up approaches. This could serve as a model for creating more autonomous zones within the Logos cyberstate.
If the community aligns with this direction, we can co-create a 15-minute documentary to show at PSF and share across other Circles. It would showcase the vision of networked autonomy in practic, not just for privileged tech circles, but grounded in real communities who need these solutions most.
How we can help through winnable issues
Housing & Policy
Informal housing issue: ongoing evictions and demolitions, with new informal structures being built on the outskirts (similar to Talude).
Action: Julius to research housing policy situation.
Action: Agata to support, drawing on her lobbying experience.
Potential to connect with housing rights lawyers or advocacy groups.
Community Projects
Graffiti & Memory Project: Repaint or project the murals and interview residents who remember the history before the local government removed them. Bring a videographer to document.
Workshops: Circle members to lead skills workshops.
Vladdy to run audiovisual workshop.
Clean-up Day: Offer extra hands needed. Spread flyers to spread the word alongside autonomous community zine (more below)
Tie into systematic change: explore local gardening/urban agriculture stations where families grow fruit, veggies ect.
Action: Batu to reach out to Sonia from Bombarda (already instituting urban agriculture projects across Lisbon)
Action: Amelia to connect with Briony (Regen Setúbal) re: solar panel programmes.
Explore crowdfunding solar panels and accessing government subsidies. Idea: solar-powered WiFi and charging stations.
Community Autonomy
Ask the community directly on Monday: “What are the 1, 2, 3 things you want fixed that the freguesia (loal government isn’t doing?”
Culture & Storytelling
Zine (in Portuguese): Focus on power of communities to become autonomous, showcasing relatable solutions in Europs.
Action: Nataliya to collaborate with righters and creatives to produce the zine.
Action: Augusto and Catia to handle translations.
Rare Effect Festival: Open call for artists from Quinta do Mocho to exhibit.
Physical & Creative Spaces
Waiting on freguesia decision re: dedicated community space.
Short-term: connect with Patchpoint for free recording space(Graça).
Action: Batu & Vladdy to visit Patchpoint, scope a proposal with Mizer (synths).
Mini-documentary Lou to reach out to Leah & Sam to co-produce the documentary showing the local daily life, realities, and potential of cyber state collaboration. Can co-produce wth Bangura, local community lead.
Funding & Grants
Workshop: How to propose grants.
Action: Lou to contact Spepen if he is willing to lead.
DGARTS grants workshop confirmed: 19 September, 6pm, Chiado. Batu to invite Quinta do Mocho creayives
Build an open-source list of EU grants.
Next Step
Circle members to attend Quinta do Mocho community meeting on 15th September at 3pm to propose a roadmap for working together.
Everyone from the Lisbon Circle is welcome to join.
Present ideas from last week’s Circle meeting to Vania, the Quinta do Mocho community lead.
Outcome:
Proposals were generally well received.
Caveat: Vania emphasized that initiatives should go through the freguesia for approval, rather than being attempted independently and risking later dismantling.
Open call for artists is now being communicated to the community.
Next Steps:
Returning next Wednesday (time TBC) for a meeting with the freguesia regarding securing a community space for creatives.
All Lisbon Circle members are welcome to join… We’ll also have a Q+A session and meeting artists interested in showcasing with Logos at Rare Effect.
Winnable Issue initiatives
Vania is organising a community meeting to identify the three most pressing issues we can help with.
Batu has already reached out to the city’s urban farming organization, Vania supports moving forward with this.
Vladdy’s free recording studio space in Lisbon also seen as a strong initiative, will pursue both as winnable issues.
Awaiting community feedback on other top priorities.
Meeting with fregusia (local government) to follow up on the opportunity to secure space for local artists.
Outcome:
Despite showing up at the fregusia’s office at 10:30 as scheduled, the government official never turned up. We spoke with many others who also turned up on time to their appointment, only to find the office still closed. The office only opens on Wednesdays, so we will need to return then.
Next Steps:
We will prepare a proposal for how we plan to support the Mocho community with their space to support the request.
Digital flyer for open call to artists will be ready by tomorrow, we will begin sharing in relevant WhatsApp groups. On Saturday, we will return with physical flyers to disseminate.
On Wednesday next week, we will be returning to meet the artists and wheatpaste posters.
