From tomorrow, June 6, until June 8, Grândola, the Portuguese ‘Vila Morena’, will host the Encontro da Canção de Protesto (Protest Song Meeting), organised by the Observatório da Canção de Protesto (Protest Song Observatory) – OCP, which includes IN2PAST’s research units Centre for Music Studies (CESEM) and the Institute of Contemporary History (IHC).  This year’s theme is ‘the PREC’ (the Portugues ‘ongoing revolutionary process’), decolonisation, and the new and old challenges to freedom of speech in music (’Processo Revolucionário em Curso, Descolonização, e Novos e Velhos Desafios da Liberdade de Expressão na Música’.)

OCP was created in 2015 by CESEM, IHC, INET-md, the José Afonso Association, the Sociedade Musical Fraternidade Operária Grandolense (Grândola’s Workers’ Fraternity Musical Society) and the Grândola Municipalty.

The ‘Encontro da Canção de Protesto 2025’ (ECP’25) opens at 6 pm at the Cineteatro Grandolense, with the presentation of the exhibition ‘Só Se Pode Querer Tudo Quando Não Se Teve Nada’ (title taken from the famous Sérgio Godinho song ‘Liberdade’), produced by the OCP. On Saturday June 7th, at 11 am, there will be a testimonial session dedicated to the theme ‘Music and Decolonisation: 50 Years Later’, with musicians LBC Soldjah (aka Flávio Almada, social activist and former coordinator of the Moinho da Juventude Cultural Association) and Mynda Guevara, moderated by Lúcia Gomes (a lawyer specialising in crimes motivated by racial hate and civil rights violations).

At 12:45, also at the Cineteatro Grandolense, the book A Cantiga Só É Arma Quando a Luta Acompanhar! Canção e Política na Revolução dos Cravos (1974-1976), by INET-md researcher Hugo Castro, recently published by the OCP and Edições Afrontamento, is presented. Liberdade para José Diogo, by director Luís Galvão Teles, will be screened in the same venue at 3:30 pm, followed by the colloquium ‘The José Diogo Case: Sounds and Scenes from an Episode of the Portuguese Revolution’, with the participation of Conceição Serrão, Constantino Piçarra (IHC – NOVA FCSH / IN2PAST), Graça Moreira, Jorge Serrão and João Madeira (IHC – NOVA FCSH / IN2PAST, member of the OCP Executive Board).

The colloquium ‘Old Tales, New Directions: Challenges of Freedom of Expression in Music’ starts at 11 am on Sunday 8 June, with musicians Filipe Sambado and Luís Varatojo, and journalist Nuno Pacheco, moderated by journalist Ricardo Alexandre.

Over the course of the three days, the Casa da Achada Choir – Mário Dionísio Centre, Jorge Palma, Camané, Samuel Úria, and Filipe Sambado and Vaiapraia with Chica (‘canto livre’) will perform at Jardim 1.º de Maio, Cineteatro Grandolense and Auditório Munícipal Cine Granadeiro Municipal Auditorium. All events are free.