Women are the great forgotten of Galician emigration. First they were the ones that Rosalía sang, the ones that waited for their husbands and children to leave while they took charge of the house and held on to it so that the built world would not be ruined. Afterwards, they loyally accompanied their husbands ’migratory adventure. And finally, they were active protagonists of emigration when they left alone and sometimes with children. The individual and collective memory of the emigrants knows of their anonymous, tireless, indispensable work. Of her invisible work as tenacious fighters who, from the background, made a fundamental contribution to the domestic economy.
In the first great wave of migration, between 1880 and 1930, half a million Galicians went to America. At first, women accounted for only 20% of the total because the host countries were looking for, above all, male labor. But since the world crisis of 1929, the percentage has risen to 40 to 45%.
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Rosalía de Castro's poetry is imbued with a maternal lyricism, which always brings her deepest expression closer to the longings and vicissitudes of her people. This lyricism sometimes gives way to an angry expression, certainly due to the author's intention to denounce the centralist oppression of Madrid. Moments in his first book, referred to here, of revolt against the "Castilians of Castile." The young Rosalía writes, addressing Castile: "the bad law I have for you."
It is perhaps impossible to find in Spanish literature such a harsh expression as Rosalía lends to a helpless woman. In the following passage we probably have the poet speaking through the mouth of an emigrant woman: "I will no longer take care of the roses / that I have of mine, nor the doves; / that they dry, as I dry myself, / that they die, as I die. " And then he deplores the condition of his people, forced to emigrate - to where, if the sea has no railings? "If the sea had railings / you would go to see Brazil, / but the sea has no railings, / my love, where shall I go?"
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The so-called spontaneous immigration, or that is, that which did not participate in the immigration policy subsidized by the State of São Paulo, was chosen by thousands of emigrants who landed mainly in the ports of the cities of Santos (São Paulo) and Rio de Janeiro. The most important groups numerically are the Portuguese, the Italians and the Spaniards and, within the Spanish contingent, Galicia occupies a prominent place. It is difficult to extract, through Brazilian records, the percentage of Galicians who resided in Brazil, within the Spanish collective, because historical documents almost always identify the immigrant as Spanish, without specifying the place of origin. Meanwhile, it is estimated that, according to Brazilian consular authorities, Galicians represent about 70% to 80% of the Spanish collective.
The arrival of thousands of Galicians who emigrated on their own account had a significant weight in several Brazilian cities, such as Santos (São Paulo), Salvador (Bahia) and Rio de Janeiro. The so-called spontaneous emigration coincided with directed emigration, as the largest concentration of Galicians arrived in Brazil at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Fleeing from agricultural areas and looking for the promising future in the cities, they emigrated to Brazil through so-called migratory chains and family networks. The fact that they are small landowners in the place of origin facilitated their relocation to the cities, not depending on the help of the Brazilian government to buy the tickets. Unlike other groups, such as the Andalusians who moved to rural Brazil, the Galicians financed their tickets to cross the Atlantic, selling some plots of land or receiving in the form of loans from those patricians who were already established in Brazilian cities.
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To the extent that they were consolidating their status as immigrants, Galician women went
accepting the new symbols and values of the receiving societies, but at the same time
they maintain their own cultural characteristics, making it possible in many ways - language,
contacts, through letters, socialization of children, food - the presence of Galicia in the
adoption society.
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Many thanks to Fabiana López Peleteiro for sharing her beautiful voice.
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Thanks to Damiano Baldoni for sharing his song:
Song: Elio contro Atlante is.gd/k8FAQO
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Thanks for sharing your videos:
Jorge Piñeiro
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joanvm
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TAOGENGZI
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Tourism Rías Baixas
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21 окт 2024
