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Photo taken in Mata, Góis. This is the very deep countryside of Portugual where time does not go by. To travel there means to enter in a strange dimension of something that stoped somewhere in the 80’s mixed with a glimpse of XXI century. It’s the reflection of the politics that the governments ever since the revolution in 1974 have been applying: To forget the east interior more close to Spain and develope the coastline. This kind of policy, made that a major part of the population that used to populate this area immigrated or migrated to somewhere near a big city.
I decided to call it “Going for the kill” because the name of the village on the road sign (Mata) is the same word for “kill” in portuguese. The rest is obvious.
24-10-2008
Coming from Portugal, established in Sweden since 2010. “I tell what I see, I see what I tell.”
Self tought. I am still learning, I allways will be! Landscapes and nature were, are and allways will be my favourite thing to shoot. Other motifs? Yeah, they will come as well…
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Nice pic, excellent pun. It’s also the same word in Spanish.
Now I see a piece of world history I missed while I was in uni… head in a bucket trying to become educated?
D
Actually in Portuguese “Mata” can also mean “Woods”. Mata as in “Kill” is in the way of giving an order to someone. FYY, both portuguese and spanish countrysides are amazing to make photographic hikes! It’s like if you would enter in another planet… Thanks for the comment :)
– João Figueiredo
very interesting read. mata has the meaning of ‘eye’ in Malay language
Thank you very much! It’s funny how can the same words mean completely different things in different languages, I’ve seen it hapend over and over again everytime I learn a new language… Example: Matar in portuguese is another form of the verb “Mata/Kill” and in swedish means “To feed someone”. Interesting world we live in… :)
– João Figueiredo
The neglect of the interior lands may possibly pay off one day, with those areas having the distinctiveness and character that the coastal areas may have come to lack. But this does not help people now most likely.
Right now I’m living in Sweden and I have learned one thing: With the right territorial planning everything is possible. In the case of my home country, that never hapened, there was never a plan for the organization of the territory. Thanks for the idea! :)
– João Figueiredo
Nice work .!! Great shot, I really like this !! The explanation is very good also !!
Thank you so much! I’m glad I please other artists…
– João Figueiredo
I used to say to my ex-wife, Doreen,
“What’s a Matta Dor” and that’s Spanish.!!LOL
Cheers Neil
“Matta Dor” doesn’t exist either in spanish or portuguese. In spanish is “Matador” and in portuguese the same word is “Matadouro”. If you writte “Matta Dor”, it looks like “Pain killer”, because “Mata” = kill and “Dor” = pain, this, both in spanish and portuguese. :)lol Once again, funny world we live in… :)
– João Figueiredo
Group Banne#7 B
by CanyonWind
Thank you so much!! Really apreciated!! :)
– João Figueiredo