Portuguese history in a feminine -and feminist- key
Lisbon, beloved capital, has tours for all tastes. There are those that show you the essentials of the city, those that guide you through its street art, there are even those that go beyond clichés.
Now, the feminist tour of Lisbon is added to this amalgamation of tours: "I was raised by a feminist mother, and I have always been interested in the subject," Rita António, its ideologue, tells us.
“Two years ago, I worked as a consultant for the Portuguese Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality, where I had the opportunity to explore the history of several portuguese women , and my curiosity was piqued even more by the biographies of her”, she continues.
“I have been a tour guide for eight years, I have my own company, Show me Lisbon, and suddenly I realized that did not tell the story of the women of the city , that none of my colleagues told it. I decided to fill this void and pay tribute to them”, reflects the expert.
Graça, one of the most hectic, cultural and vibrant places in the city center.
Thus, in her feminist tour through Lisbon, unique in the city, António recounts the lives of women like N Atalia Correia, writer, poet and deputy after the 1974 Revolution. she “she founded a bar where we had a drink on the tour, and she had a particular sense of humor.”, recalls the guide.
“One day, in the Assembly, there was a deputy who declared that sexual relations only served to produce children. She responded with a poem in which she implied that since the deputy himself had only one son, he must have been cheated …”.
It is not the only anecdote that António tells on this private tour, which takes place in small groups: “I tell several stories of women who made a difference throughout the 20th century in the fight for women's rights ”, she analyzes.
Another that he loves to remember is that of Maria Lamas, author of the important literary work Women of My Country, the first report on the living conditions of Portuguese women.
Although, if she had to choose the most surprising, she would bet on the events that took place on April 25, 1974 in the so-called Carnation Revolution . The expert begins by explaining what the milestone meant for women.
"It was with her that women's rights really began to exist, although there is still a long way to go," says António. "On the other hand, I love to point out that the symbol of the revolution, the carnation, is due to a woman."
The feminist tour is, more than a tour, "an experience", according to the philosophy of Show me Lisbon, and those who live it are usually women activists related to feminism in their country of origin.
“There have been some men who have joined us, but it is very rare. We have also had some bachelorette parties”, reflects António, whose company is proud to show the capital up close through the eyes of a local “.
" Our guides are your friends in the city , the people you can turn to when you have a problem or want to have a good time”, they say from the company. And now, too, when you want to delve into the amazing lives of Portuguese women who have marked history.