Alfredo Cunha / Lusa
Former President of the Republic is very funny, he is very funny. “It’s dark humor, but fantastic”, reports Alfredo Cunha.
He is the “photographer of the revolution”, he was in the right place at the right time, on April 25, 1974.
Alfredo Cunha, One of the most renowned photojournalists in Portugal, he has accompanied several Portuguese personalities, been in wars abroad, in important international political moments.
He was also the official photographer of Ramalho Eanes e Mário Soares, the first two presidents of the Republic after the 25th of April.
He liked them both a lot. But being the general “stricter”… No, it’s not – interrupts the photographer, saying: “This is a myth. Ramalho Eanes is a very fun personwith a lot of fun. There’s a black humor, but a fantastic sense of humor.”
“I found him here a while ago and told him he looked great. He looked at me, from top to bottom, and said: ‘You need to go to the ophthalmologist'”, he recalls, between smiles.
Regarding Mario Soares“there is no need to explain who you are”. In fact, Mário Soares was the person who I liked taking photos the most until today.
Alfredo Cunha got it “unexpected portraits.” It was “fantastic, I really enjoyed photographing it”, he adds.
But he also really enjoyed taking photos. António Lobo Antunes: “For years he refused to be photographed, until one day, at the request of a great friend of mine, Rui Cardoso Martins, he allowed himself to be photographed. We had been doing this for 20 years!”
The writer, and psychiatrist, even led a kind of consultation: “He was super friendly, he gave me good psychiatric advice, including good marriage advice”.
Alfredo Cunha also highlighted Eduardo Lourenço, teacher and philosopher. “A very funny man and he said terrible things very softly. And he always told me: ‘You shouldn’t let me be photographed because I always look like Salazar'”, he recalls.
