Broader than its name
Asian shadow figures and African masks alongside Portuguese ones — the puppet as a universal device.
Hipersyl — CC BY-SA 4.0 · moi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lijealso — CC BY 3.0 · Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL — CC BY-SA 2.0
A museum devoted to puppetry, in a seventeenth-century convent in the quiet Madragoa district. The building is a surprise in itself: convent cloisters and a courtyard carefully converted into galleries. The collection is broader than the name suggests. Alongside traditional Portuguese puppets there are Asian shadow figures, African masks, European marionettes and characters from political puppet theatre. The idea is that the puppet is a storytelling device used by many cultures for different ends, some for entertainment and some for political criticism when speaking directly was dangerous. That last aspect matters in the Portuguese context: puppet theatre was among the means that worked around censorship under the dictatorship. The museum is small and quiet and rarely crowded, which makes it a good option for families with children and for a rainy day. The location sits slightly off the usual tourist route, in a residential district worth walking.
Asian shadow figures and African masks alongside Portuguese ones — the puppet as a universal device.
Puppet theatre was a means of political criticism under the dictatorship, when speaking directly was dangerous.
A good option with children or on a rainy day, away from the crush of the centre.
Convento das Bernardas, Madragoa, Lisbon
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Madragoa lies west of the centre, reached by tram, bus or a walk from the Estrela area. The district itself is residential and quiet and worth walking, one of the non-touristic faces of Lisbon.