2024 Protest Song Meeting

The latest edition of the Protest Song Meeting took place in Grândola between June 20 and 22. The title chosen for this meeting was The protest song in Portugal: in front of yesterday’s dictatorships and today’s democracy. In these three days, the Alentejo welcomed leading figures on the development of protest songs in Portugal and people who have been continually interested in the subject.

In this year’s edition, the theme was approached in multiple ways: in the form of exhibitions throughout the city (such as Emigration, Exile and protest song, The protest singers and the April 25: “let’s get to know the people” and Discos na luta: Cooperative and political editions of the protest song in the revolutionary period) or musical activities (such as Banda SMFOG – Sociedade Musical de Fraternidade Operária Grandolense’s parade; the concerts by Marco Oliveira, de Xullaji and Luís Varatojo; and a free singing session in two parts: one by Sés, a Galician singer who performed in a trio, and another trio made up of Francisco Fanhais, Manuel Freire and Rogério Cardoso Pires). There were also book presentations, a documentary film, various lectures, and a testimonial session.

CESEM was also present at the meeting, represented by Sara Maia, who moderated a panel discussion on the last day entitled Traditional uses on the reconfiguration of Portuguese popular music. The panel featured people who were particularly relevant in the context of the transformation of popular music throughout the 20th century. They were Domingos Morais, Mário Correia, Manuel Rocha and Maria José Campos. Together, they debated the meaning of traditional and popular music and its articulation with protest songs throughout the last century.