CCC's Street Art Contest # 306 - Hummingbirds of Freedom - Lore - Alcantara, Portugal

Good evening, friends!

Welcome to another post in the Street Art community!

One Friday a few weeks ago, I had arrived at work earlier than usual for that week—since I was only scheduled to start in the afternoon—but because I had mandatory training scheduled for the morning, I ended up arriving well before the scheduled start time.

Having already driven past Rua do Rio Seco in Alcântara and come across a gigantic mural, the place stuck in my memory, and of course I knew I’d have to revisit it at a leisurely pace to appreciate the graffiti with more attention and detail, and to document and share it here with this fantastic community.

And that’s exactly what happened on May 22, when—with over an hour to “spare”—I decided to drive to the site, since walking there wouldn’t guarantee I’d be back at work on time. The mural is simply breathtaking. It was just a few minutes past 6:20 a.m. There were few people on the street. Just the occasional person walking their dogs, no doubt before heading off to work.

There were few cars on the road, but unfortunately, many were parked, which meant I had to park farther away and made it difficult for me to capture some parts of this magnificent mural because of the proximity of those very cars.

The first piece I want to highlight here is one located on a small flight of stairs leading up from Rua do Rio Seco to Rua do Mirador. Just a few months ago, this wall was bare, with nothing to offer but its whiteness. Not anymore. A collaborative event called “Juntas Hacemos Mas,” or WOM—a group of women who came together in London to share their work and join forces to promote it, as well as to invigorate the culture fostered by their efforts. They describe themselves as a dynamic group that aims to bring color and joy to the white walls of urban spaces, revitalizing them and breathing new life into the area.

They promote interpersonal connection, joy, and positivity, giving female artists the opportunity to showcase and exhibit their work.

The first artist I’d like to share with you today is LORE.
Her work focuses on an iconic quote from a British activist who helped secure women’s suffrage in Great Britain in 1918. The quote reads: “We are here, not because we are lawbreakers, but in our efforts to become lawmakers.”

Even today, hundreds of millions of women are fighting to have their rights upheld. Many have no say whatsoever about their future, their jobs, the husband they will marry, or even their most basic right: the right to education. Even today, in Afghanistan—and after so many years of various military interventions—the Taliban have reestablished themselves, spreading terror and oppression once again.

I am sharing this work here today because, even now, we need to remind humanity of the challenges imposed on half the population solely based on a person’s biological sex. We must evolve as a society and reject at all costs the oppression of women—which denies their dignity and their right to self-determination and existence—and instead value them through work and education.

I hope you enjoyed this simple post of mine.

See you next week!