Stories that unveil silences

A feature on policing in ghettoized neighbourhoods, the people who live there and the police who work out there.

The story of 25 April 1974, the date of Portugal’s revolution, is nearly always told by military, poets and leaders of parties. Always men. Women, who were also on the frontline in the fight against fascism, have been sidelined.

During the Portuguese Colonial War, thousands of Africans fought alongside Portugal. Nearly 50 years later, the surviving Guinean Commandos tell their story for the first time. A story of war, persecution and death.

The unemployment figures in Portugal leave out thousands of people who do not appear in the official records. Guiomar, Rui, Alice and António are all over 55 and unemployed. They are normal women and men who the labour market has tossed aside.

With the arrival of big agricultural investment to the Nacala Corridor, one of the most fertile and populated areas of Mozambique, thousands of people were dispossessed of their land and are still waiting for the promise of a better life to come true.

Fado Bicha [Queer Fado] is sung by a thick bearded transvestite and brings lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans and intersex themes into the core of the Portuguese traditional music. It’s queer because it’s not traditional, because it’s not afraid of showing itself.

The problem of global warming has a face. In recent years, the inhabitants of Elalab have been embroiled in an uphill battle against rising sea levels.

Jó is a transsexual woman who, aged 14, ran away from home to have a chance to be herself. She wanted to live free, still unaware that this would mean an endless struggle.

Portugal is the main port of entry into Europe for underage footballers originating from Africa and Latin America. Hear the stories of Francisco, Cassiano and Valentine.