50 YEARS SINCE THE RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY IN GREECE – THE DICTATORSHIPS OF SOUTHERN EUROPE: GREECE, SPAIN, PORTUGAL
“Grandola, Vila Morena”
On the night of April 24, 1974, military units across Portugal moved swiftly, seizing all critical locations. By dawn, the movement had triumphed completely, and dictator Caetano surrendered to General Spinola, who assumed power on behalf of the Revolution.
At 12:20 a.m., the song “Grandola, Vila Morena” by resistance singer Zeca Afonso was broadcast over the radio, signaling the start of the revolution.
From the very beginning, it was clear that this was no ordinary coup, but a genuine popular uprising with the military as its spark. Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets, joining forces with the soldiers and threatening to lynch members of the fascist regime.
Political prisoners were freed from jails, workers took over factories, and landless peasants seized large estates from landowners, establishing self-governing cooperatives.
The radio series “HISTORIAS MINIMAS“, a collaborative project with Radio Panik in Belgium, co-created by Thomas Sideris, presents a thematic triptych historical tribute to the dictatorships of Southern Europe that collapsed around the same period, marking fifty years since the restoration of democracy in Greece this summer.
The dictatorships of Southern Europe served as a catalyst for revolutionary popular movements, inspired art, and were reflected in it. Resistance during the years of brutal authoritarian regimes is a fundamental element of the heritage not only of the Southern peoples but of all European citizens.
Research/Documentation/Presentation: Thomas Sideris