Interviewer: Rita Alcaire (CES)

About

Under the motto "Feminist Talks", the XII edition of the Gender Workshop Series proposes a series of talks with people from different areas of intervention and work in the field of gender equality and women's dignity and well being in Portugal and Galicia. In this session, we will talk with Rita Joana Pinheiro Maia, based on her work.

Bio note

Singer-songwriter Rita Joana Pinheiro Maia is a native of Coimbra, whose childhood was spent in the village of Santo Varão, in the lower Mondego region, and was marked by the freedom of the rural environment. However, her family sought better living conditions in Coimbra, where she attended catholic school. Her tastes beyond music, cross the universe of philosophy and cinema. At the age of 16/17 she had to take care of her family and assume herself as their pillar. In 2016 Rita Joana became an informal caregiver for her war disabled father and seven years younger brother. In her personal life, she has been involved in the struggle for the dignity of Justice, of Human Rights in Portuguese prisons and of the very issues about the Preventive Measures process. She was always attentive to and followed the struggle of the Disabled in the Armed Forces, through direct contact with members and leaders of ADFA, since she was three years old, and ended up getting involved in their struggles. Later she became an informal caregiver for her mother. Recently she fought for the Statute of the Informal Caregiver where she was in the front line, with political debates and other interventions. Late in life and in the midst of social causes, she realised her desire to be a singer. She now presents an independent project of documentary reportage on various social and community themes with the aim of bringing together helpful insights and clear and urgent information.

[Note: Capacity limited to 21 participants]