Presente was made in Porto during the march of November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It follows the pulse of the streets - the voices of @rede8marcoporto, the banners lifted against indifference, the gestures of women, queer and trans comrades, workers and students reclaiming public space as ground for resistance.
I walked among them as a witness and an outsider, drawn into the noise, the vibration, the trembling density of bodies moving with one breath. The word Presente rose from the crowd - a word that means I am here - spoken not only for the living, but for those no longer with us.
In Porto, that echo carries the memory of Gisberta Salce Júnior, a trans woman whose murder in 2006 carved an open wound into the city’s conscience. Her name is rarely shouted, yet it exists inside the chant - carried by the collective memory of a community that turned mourning into solidarity. Years later, the street where she was killed bears her name - a small, hard-won victory for all who refused silence.
