School to train feminists to open in Lisbon

Lisbon will host the first feminist school in the country, designed “for everyone” who is interested in learning more about the pursuit of equality as an “attitude to life”.

Founded by Martha Martins and Valkyrie Porto, manamiga, “still a small collective”, will open next Wednesday.

Largo Residências has no shortage of plaza, which has been installed in the former Cabeço da Bola barracks in Lisbon, where artistic, cultural and social projects proliferate. That’s where the feminist school of the Manamiga Project decided to camp to capitalize on a network of collectives that would allow them to “shape a community” and “think together,” says Valkyrie Porto, who graduated in business administration and specializes in communications. and brand.

In a conversation with Lusa, the founders say that the project to create a feminist school arose from daily conversations and the exchange of information that reveals “layers of oppression, inequality and exploitation” of women who do not always perceive them as such.

“Whether smaller or more pronounced, this inequality, this oppression is obvious, it exists, and we deal with it on a daily basis,” notes Marta Martins, cultural manager and chief executive of Artemrede.

In addition to the “egregious” numbers about domestic violence, femicide, discrimination, wage inequality, there are “things” of everyday life. “We are not valued, we are silenced, we have less access to certain spaces – spaces of power, for example,” she reflects.

It is from this daily life of inequality and discrimination that both move to defend feminist education that opens the way to awareness.

To this end, the manamiga is addressed to “everyone”, both those who already have some knowledge or interest in feminism, and those who advocate gender equality but reject the feminist label.

“We want them to realize that they are feminists precisely because they are for gender equality, and that feminism is an attitude towards life, a way to imagine a different future, a more equal, more just, more supportive future” for “men, women “. and non-binary people,” emphasizes Martha Martins.

He emphasizes that feminism “is a cross-cutting struggle” that includes other causes such as class equality, respect for diversity, the fight against racism or climate justice.

Keeping in mind that “there are always new things”, Valkyrie Porto describes feminism as a movement that “reaches everyone, takes everyone by the hand” and is not just a theory, but a “practice”.

The manamiga educational project offers a wide range of courses and trainings, from the most difficult to the simplest (the official page https://manamiga.pt/ already lists the courses available since May).

One of the proposals includes an “easier” one-month course called “Feminism in Everyday Life” for those who want to “understand a little more gender, […] know what a non-binary language is,” or how to “behave with a colleague,” or tell your kids about systemic sexism so they don’t reproduce it.

“In society, there is a prejudice against the word feminism, the word feminist, as if it is outdated, as if it is no longer needed, because all rights are in the law. The truth is that […] there is legal equality, but there is no real, everyday equality, and that is why feminism is so important and so relevant,” Marta Martins justifies.

While acknowledging that the word feminism carries a negative connotation, the founder has no doubt that this is why the school that is about to be launched is so important. But, she admits, “feminist struggles scare a lot of people.”

In an effort to reach out to schools, the manamiga, which currently exists with its own resources and funding, may soon become an association.” The Belém Library, home to the feminist collection of the writer Ana de Castro Osorio).

The manamiga project already has a feminist cultural program available on social media, which has been posting artistic and cultural projects by women or topics that intersect with feminism since November.

At first, we remind the founders, they had to “chase” this information, but now they are approached by the groups themselves, who want to publish their projects on the agenda.

The opening of the first feminist school in Portugal will take place on the 19th at 19:00 at an open meeting for everyone to discuss education and feminism in the country.