Portuguese
A superação da contradição
é o parto que traz
ao mundo este homem novo
não mais opressor;
não mais oprimido,
mas homem libertando-se.
Paulo Freire
In the context of its work research and political and civic intervention, Instituto Paulo Freire of Portugal has began a workshop cycle about the Oppressed Theater, searching the involvement of several populations as: activists, social workers, students and researchers. This cycle is going to be prolonged for the next year.
The two workshops that have already been hold were coordinate by Inês Barbosa, young researcher and social activist that has been studying Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal’s thought, exploring the synergy between their práxis. In her words, Inês Barbosa explores “the potentialities of Theater of Oppressed as an activist tool and an instrument for critical and radical pedagogy”.
Oppressed Theater Workshop
The first workshop was dedicated to the initiation to Oppressed Theater as a theatrical methodology of political, educative and social intervention that brings to public agenda the debate about the mechanisms, structures and disequilibrium of power as well as the unblinding of “oppressed limit situation”. This methodology has the goal the emancipation of every single human being as well as the social transformation. For beyond of the brief theoretical approach about history, principles and objectives of Theater of Oppressed, the workshop had corporeity studies through theatrical games and through the exploration of aesthetic language: word, sound and image. The workshop ended with a Theater-Forum section in “Rés-da-Rua”, a young community, in Porto City heart.
Workshop about Gender.
The second workshop had its focus in genre issue. Developping itself around the theme “Women, liberty and resistance”, this activity explored, particularly, the Theater-Newspaper and oppressed aesthetic. Besides deepen the reflection about the individual and collectives realities and the knowledge in this way of intervantion, the workshop has allowed participants people to experience useful methodologies to their individual development and to action with communities. The workshop ended with two public presentation of Theater-newspaper, one in the “Caminho-de-ferro de São Bento” (São Bento Iron Path), at center of Porto City, and the another one in the context of “Óprima! – Encontro de Teatro do Oprimido e Ativismo” (Óppressed! – Theater of Oppressed and Activism Meeting), that conglomerates groups and individuals interested in provoking thoughts and critical action in face to the concrete social life issues.
With Paulo Freire, we support our ideal into a hopeful vision of the world, based on the transforming capacity of humanity. In a moment that oppressed situation are each day more complex and multifaceted, that “the oppressed” is fragmented; In a moment that it grows the number of oppressed people, not just for the bad wealth distribution and the consequent growth of poverty, but also for the growth of situations where they are not given recognition neither voice, the Theater of Oppressed resource has revealed itself useful in population awareness and in inherent mobilization for a transforming action.
Participants of the Workshop about gender.
Text sent by Eunice Macedo of Instituto Paulo Freire – Portugal: ipfportugal@fpce.up.pt