Citizenship in (sub) urban spaces: the Theater of the Oppressed in the Alto da Cova da Moura and in the Vale da Amoreira

摘要

From the study of the activities developed by two Theatre of the Oppressed communitarian groups - DRK (Alto da Cova da Moura, Amadora) and ValArt (Vale da Amoreira, Moita) -, we seek to understand how can citizenship through art contribute to the construction of more just cities, and what are the challenges and limits that this process faces. The research developed in conjunction with the young people participating in both groups shows us that it is mainly through the revelation and valorisation of their personal and contextual experiences, histories and narratives within the framework of their social and political intervention through theatre, that some of the nefarious effects of contemporary urbanization are fought, and the frontiers separating these urban spaces from their surroundings are diluted.