Mujeres Libres: Anarchist Feminism Returns to the Stage
La Marea
- The play 'LIBRES!!!' at the Teatro de la Abadía in Madrid brings the ideology of the 1936 anarchist organization 'Mujeres Libres' to life through cabaret and sicalipsis-inspired performance.
- Directed by Andrés Lima, the production stars Alba Flores, Laura Galán, and Nüll García, exploring the group's revolutionary push for female liberation, self-management, and education.
Key Ideologies and Activism
- Mujeres Libres prioritized intellectual training and economic independence over traditional political advocacy, such as women's suffrage, which they believed would not dismantle power structures.
- The group advocated for the total abolition of marriage, viewing it as a contract that enslaved women, and sought to address prostitution by providing technical training rather than mere moral condemnation.
- They emphasized that true equality required women to be educated and prepared to act as equals within the movement, a sentiment reinforced through their influential magazine.
Contemporary Relevance
- The play serves as a reminder of an anarchist legacy that was suppressed during the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent forty-year dictatorship.
- Director Andrés Lima views the production as a tool for today's climate, suggesting that anarchist principles of community care, self-management, and solidarity offer essential strategies for confronting the modern rise of far-right movements and fascism.