A Revolta do Milho

Based on real events, “A Revolta do Milho” is a theatrical recreation of the peasant uprising of June 1942, which took place in Vale da Pedra and involved the populations of the three parishes of Souto da Carpalhosa, Monte Redondo and Bajouca. With the famine caused by the war, peasant revolts were frequent in Portugal, but were stifled by the Salazar regime.

Brief history: maize, essential for feeding the local population, was subject to the policies of the Portuguese dictatorship, which aimed to guarantee the country’s supply at fixed prices. José “Barbeiro”, a major maize producer, was notified to deliver his produce in accordance with the Manifesto. Aware of the Guild’s intentions to confiscate the corn, the population organised itself to prevent the maize from being collected. After several attempts, involving the ringing of the Vale da Pedra church bell and the intervention of the authorities, several people were arrested and convicted, including two women and twelve men from the parishes of Souto da Carpalhosa, Monte Redondo and Bajouca.

After 80 years, the reenactment of “A Revolta do Milho” brings together actors, actresses and musicians from O Gato, CaosArte, Manipulartes and TASE, as well as citizens from the local community. In the 4th edition of BoCA, the groups are performing in Lisbon, bringing to light the memory of this episode of civil resistance, with the fundamental participation of women, omitted from Portuguese history for so many decades.