Festival dedicated to the role of women in the arts brings together free concerts and workshops

"Somas 2019" makes room for new work by women in music and offers free training programming.

In its second edition, the Somas Festival proposes an artistic and educational/reflection program exclusively protagonized by women, on July 26th and 27th, gathering free activities, such as concerts, panels and workshops, at Gebes Medeiros Theater and at the Palácio Rio Negro Cultural Center.

The festival aims to enhance the artistic-musical scene in Manaus, making it increasingly accessible and feasible the development of work led by women, professionals just beginning their careers and established artists, encouraging exchanges and collective initiatives among them.

On Friday, July 26th, the artists Elisa Maia, Karen Francis, Lary Go & Strela and the band Gramophone will open the Festival with musical shows at Teatro Gebes Medeiros, at Av. Eduardo Ribeiro, 937, Centro, starting at 7pm, remembering the International Day of Black, Latin-American, and Caribbean Women. Elisa Maia and Karen Francis will play a joint show, in which the two perform each other's songs, with a repertoire based on their respective EPs - 'Being from the City', released in 2013, by Elisa Maia, and 'Happening', from 2018, by singer Karen Francis -, as well as new songs that the artists are preparing to release later this year.

Already, the sister duo Lary Go & Strelawhich has been performing since 2015 and is already a reference in the city's hip hop scene, will present songs from their usual repertoire and new songs, such as 'Witches' Laughter' and 'Ideia florescida', which are in the production phase to be released. The band Gramophonewhich has the powerful voice of singer Vívian Silva at the front of its vocals, performs its experimental regional music, with songs from the band itself and re-recordings of regional hits.

Educational activities

On Saturday, July 27, the festival's training program will take place at the Salão Nobre do Centro Cultural Palácio Rio Negro, focusing on small steps that local artists, producers and mobilizers can take to professionalize and enhance their work. The activities start at 2 pm, with the panel Printed women: the representation of the femininein which the designer and master's student Samara Nina, from the Program of Letters and Arts (PPGLA/UEA), proposes a discussion about the representation of women in the most diverse vehicles of information and its mistakes.

Next, at 3pm, Tita Virgílio, who is part of the Directorate of Culture of the Municipal Foundation of Culture, Tourism and Events (Manauscult), will facilitate a workshop on 'Curriculum and Artistic Portfoliobringing a practical perspective of ideal formats of organization of information of the performance of artists and producers with the public agencies, for presentation in edicts and work opportunities in general.

Soon after, at 16h, it's the turn of the journalist and manager of Impact Hub Manaus, Juliana Teles, to mediate the workshop Pitchings: talk about your project in 10 minuteswhich, in a dynamic and participatory approach, will help the professionals to present their projects in selection processes, calls for proposals and meetings with private initiative, since the format of oral presentation, or oral defense of the project, is already widely used in the artistic and cultural scene, especially for fundraising.

To close the training program, the Coletiva Banzeiro Feminista will conduct a conversation circle with the theme Weaving care networks between womenin which psychologist Andreza Costa, Master in Psychosocial Processes and actress in Grupo Garagem, proposes a self-care experience focused on a critical social reflection emphasizing the influence of hegemonic systems on our health.

Pocket shows

Somas 2019 also opened applications for new artistic work headed by women and selected four artists, who will present pocket shows closing the Festival's program. A MC Catarina, revelation of rap in the city of Manaus, the debutants Natty dos Anjos and the band Trialis(with singer Julhia Alcântara on vocals) and Olívia de Amores, veteran, but who is launching a new solo career, will perform from 7pm on, in the external garden (back) of the Palácio Rio Negro Cultural Center, on Saturday, July 27th, right after the formation program.

Also on the 27th, the after Somas Festival 2019 happens, with a free access program, at Do Lado Bar, starting at 9pm. The space has as creator and manager the DJ and producer Luana Aleixo, who, in the first edition of the Somas Festival, facilitated a disco workshop exclusively for women.

All the Somas Festival 2019 programming is free and free for all audiences. Although the focus is on women, men are also welcome, especially if they encourage the presence of other women in the two-day event.

The Somas Festival, besides relying mostly on a team composed of women, is held and produced by Coletivo Difusão, a collective cultural organization from Manaus. The event also counts with the support of the Amazonas Secretary of Culture (SEC), Municipal Foundation of Culture, Tourism, and Events (Manauscult), Municipal Secretary of Youth, Sports, and Leisure (Semjel), the banca Todas São Manas, and the Coletiva Banzeiros Feminista.

Schedule

26/07 (Friday)

7pm to 9pm - Opening show of the Somas Festival.
Venue: Gebes Medeiros Theater (Av. Eduardo Ribeiro, 973, Centro).
Attractions: Elisa Maia & Karen Francis / Lary Go & Strela / Gramophone
Admission: Free

07/27 (Saturday)

2pm to 9pm - Somas 2019 Festival training and reflection program and pocket shows
Venue: Palácio Rio Negro Cultural Center - Av. Sete de Setembro, 1546, Centro
Admission: Free

2-3pm - Panel 'Printed women: the representation of the feminine'.
Facilitator: Samara Nina - Master's student at the Program of Letters and Arts (PPGLA/UEA), book designer at the University of Amazonas State University (UEA) and researcher of the theme 'The representation of the feminine in editorial materials

3 pm to 4 pm - Workshop 'Curriculum and Artistic Portfolio'.
Facilitator: Tita Virgílio - Special Projects Manager of the Manauscult Culture Board and Municipal Councillor of Culture (Concultura).

4pm to 6pm - Workshop 'Pitchings: talk about your project in 10 minutes
Facilitator: Juliana Teles - Co-entrepreneur of Impact Hub Manaus and co-founder of the Banho do Bem project; graduated in Journalism from UFAM and manager of social projects at AIESEC in Brazil.

6 pm to 7 pm - Conversation round 'Weaving care networks among women
Facilitator: Andreza Costa - Psychologist and master in Psychosocial Processes; actress at Grupo Garagem, member of the collective Banzeiro Feminist and of the Fulanas - Negras da Amazônia Brasileira Network (NAB)

7pm - 9pm - Pocket shows by Trialis, Natty dos Anjos, Catarina and Olívia de Amores

9pm - After of the Somas Festival 2019

Venue: Do Lado Bar (Rua Costa Azevedo, 159, Centro).
Admission: Free
Attractions: DJ Luaninha