“Lebab” is really “Babel” spelled backwards, and in this way it evokes a concept that is built against the idea of conflict, confusion and distrust that by association prevails in the biblical name. Contrasting with the original myth, Lebab stands for another myth, one of a literary nature that suggests the allegory of a place in which exchange among people from different ethnic origins is constructed upon peaceful cohabitation and the sharing of cultural experiences. Throughout, with a rather exotic blend of idiosyncratic manifestations that bloom along the lines, Lebab raises into a cosmos of cultural diversity that is both constitutive and distinctive of postcolonial environments, although representing a place that hasn’t properly been a colonial archetype: Macau.

Facing Macau’s existing multiethnic and complex society we realize that the outcomes of the Portuguese presence in the city are more social than political in nature, for the eruption of tension or interethnic conflict has been irrelevant. From the historical details and accounts that cannot be summed up here, what remains mostly accepted is the idea that Macau emerges as a place of lifelong entente. Although this did not always stand for understanding, it does at least stand for the respectful acknowledgement of difference. Communication appears therefore as the most important allegory in Lebab since, within a romanticized image of Macau, it makes understanding not just possible, but also concrete and fundamental.

Carried along by the rhythms of the Portuguese language intersected by foreign expressions, the young characters who engaged in the narrative of the book interact and share experiences that range from symbolic celebrations held in their respective communities to the taste of traditional dishes and the revived memories brought about by the encounter of successive generations. From Timor to Goa, Mozambique to China, to Portugal, Thailand, the Philippines and Macau, the expressions of identities shape the space of diversity while giving a sense of home to those locally gathered. Following the cyclical path of the seasons, rituals, customs and traditions are cherished and progressively evoked to the benefit of renewing the sense of belonging, from one generation to another, as well as across distinct cultural identities. The author’s knowledge and treatment of the subject proves therefore particularly rewarding in what he selects and presents as a variety of aspects that could only come out from a long and thoughtful experience of all things Macanese.

Credit for the acceptance of the Macau myth, pictured in Lebab as a haven of interethnic encounter and cross-cultural communication, should however be given to the “suspension of disbelief”, since the story tells us of a reality that is somewhat different from and dismissive of the way things actually operate in Macau. Considering that Portuguese is the language chosen in the book to conduct communication, we are supposed to accept that the control of such language works as the basis for interaction from the very beginning, despite the fact that the characters come from diverse ethnic or national origins and backgrounds. Claiming Portuguese as one language for all, literary invention here symbolically replaces the factual nature of history.

Yet from this perspective, the book is of immense value to the Portuguese speakers of Macau, as well as to other Portuguese-speaking societies, since it represents both a pleasant and instructive way of reaching the younger audience, to which the book is firstly directed, even though it won’t deceive the more experienced reader. Moreover, when highlighting it as a place of culture and heritage, Terra de Lebab invites contemporary societies to reflect upon the consequences of a globally promoted culture of consumption and material benefit for the public space. In this sense, it is an insightful work both in introducing the Macau myth as an inspiration to be followed by the younger generations and in enhancing the attributes of the Portuguese-speaking family, which is still searching for a better, deeper integration. A good start for a long and promising trip.