The event takes place at the Marvila Library and Camões Secondary School, promoted by the Eufémias group, a collective formed in 2020 by six artists, researchers, and educators from Argentina, Brazil, and Portugal.
The festival aims to “broaden perspectives on the concepts of gender, memory, and resistance” and give “visibility to artistic initiatives developed from gender-based intersectional perspectives,” according to the organization.
The program includes theater, dance, and performance shows, focusing on ancestry, diaspora, and memories, highlighting creations by women from diverse backgrounds, the statement adds.
The program opens on October 29 at 9:30 PM with the show ‘#3 Musa Acuminata Cavendish’ by Flávia Gusmão and the Batucadeiras Finka Pé group, at the Auditorium of Camões Secondary School, part of the NA LUT@ project dedicated to Cape Verdean activist Samira Pereira.
In the following days, works by artists from Portugal, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East will be presented, addressing themes such as ancestry, diaspora, mourning, and the deconstruction of female stereotypes.
Highlights include the preview of the play ‘Penelopíada’ by Susana Cecílio on the 30th, the documentary performance ‘FRAGMENTOS,’ celebrating the black woman as a knowledge producer about her own history by Marisa Paulo, and the danced story ‘SerEstando Mulheres’ by Ana Cristina Cola, an actress from the Brazilian company Lume Teatro, on the 31st.
The program also features a ‘Street Parade’ on November 2, a scenic action resulting from a theatrical research lab guided by Ana Woolf and Ana Cristina Colla.
Other festival moments include the performance ‘Pai para Jantar’ by Gaya de Medeiros on the 5th, the Syrian artist Shadi Alaiek’s play ‘A Letter to My Mother,’ and ‘Mestizage Salvaje’ by Samadi Valcarcel, a reflection on mestizo identity and Bolivian identity, both on the 6th.
On November 7, ‘Adding an Absent Place’ by Keli Freitas, ‘Encyclopedic Woman’ by Poliana Tuchia and Keli Freitas, and ‘My First Time’ by Paolle Berklyn will take the stage, concluding the festival on the 8th.
Apart from the shows, the Eufémia Festival promotes training and dialogues, offering initiatives such as the intensive lab ‘Theatrical Research and Composition through Play,’ led by Ana Woolf and Ana Cristina Colla, and the workshop ‘Drag Queer Manifestation’ facilitated by Paolle Santos.
There will also be Dialogues, moments of reflection, discussion, and sharing on the festival’s themes, open to the public, held at Camões Secondary School. These include the sessions ‘Writings of Resistance’ (November 5) and ‘Gender, Memory, and Resistance in Scene’ (November 6), featuring participation from artists and researchers from various countries.
The program also offers complementary activities like the performance-game ‘Atlas of Meritocracy’ by André Tecedeiro and Laura Falésia, the workshop ‘With a Hint of Mint Tea’ by Shahd Wadi and Bernardo Afonso, and the installation-performance ‘Bodies of Disobedience’ by Pepa Macua.
The public can also visit the exhibitions ‘Me Apavora a Ideia de Esquecer’ by Poliana Tuchia and Beth Freitas, and ‘Body Building – DIY’ by Diana V. Almeida, on display at the Marvila Library throughout the festival.
Weaving art and memory, the Eufémia Festival positions itself as a space for reflection, resistance, and sharing, aiming to question systemic inequalities and promote a more inclusive and intercultural society.
