Jose Varela (al-Farrob), Algarve
Member Since March 2007
Artist Statement My name is José Varela; I am Portuguese, and live in Algarve the most southern region of Portugal.
al-Farrob is only a nickname I have been using on the Internet for some years. As far as I know it has no meaning at all. And its arab look is only that, an appearance
"Alfarroba" means carob (
ceratonia siliqua), which is very common in Algarve, and inexistent in the rest of the country; and the Arabs have been here for more than 5 centuries, thus leaving great influence, greater than in the rest of the country.
So this nickname is only a pun mostly to be understood by the Portuguese themselves:)
It is more widely known than my real name so I continue using it.