On June 20, 2026, the Espace Louise Michel hosted "Femmes libres" to celebrate the program's 40th anniversary. Guests participated in four roundtables, singers and musicians offered feminist lyrics, often with humor, daring to suggest that certain musical instruments could be more accessible to women. The "Femmes libres" team, assisted by Monique from the Radio Libertaire office, books were provided by Librairie Publico, and... listeners, feminists, and pro-feminists were all in attendance! Around fifty people listened attentively and in good spirits. How can one discuss 40 years, some 1800 broadcasts, without evoking emotions, questions, discoveries, surprises, and encounters? And all of this was discussed!
It is worth recalling that the radio program "Femmes libres" (Free Women) was launched by Nelly Trumel in May 1986, the anniversary of the Spanish Revolution. The title was chosen to pay tribute to the organization Mujeres Libres (Free Women), founded in April 1936, which brought together more than 20,000 Spanish anarchist women. This organization aimed to "liberate women from the triple slavery to which they were subjected: slaves to their ignorance, slaves as producers, and slaves as women."
Since then, the program "Femmes libres" has sought to be a space for reflection and study of the specific oppression of women in a patriarchal and capitalist society founded on male domination. This radio program aims to highlight the strategies of defense, visibility, and reconstruction implemented by feminist movements, in light of an analysis of social relations of sex, gender, class, and origin. Thus, for two hours a week, numerous women and a few men came to discuss and share their struggles, research, experiences, and artistic and cultural creations.
A remarkable wealth of expression emerged, which we wanted to explore through broad themes. It was difficult to choose who and what to highlight in just four hours for these 40 years of broadcasting! But in our minds and hearts, no one could be forgotten. We were able to identify developments in the issues women face, which the program has addressed, and here are a few examples.
The gendered approach has evolved. Starting from social relations of sex, class, and "race," and the inherent connection between social relations and the dynamics of power, the concept of intersectionality also provides an analytical tool. The universalism of humankind is combined with intersectional analysis for different social groups. The differential value of the sexes is being challenged today by the complexity of the link between gender and sex, in order to shift the norms that assign us to genders. At the level of vocabulary, phallocentric discourses are being rejected, and the political dimension of language is being considered. Much work is mobilizing tangible elements toward the feminization and demasculinization of language, and even, for some, toward a non-binary language.
Regarding the body, even though feminist movements have consistently demanded women's freedom to control their own bodies over the past 40 years, violence and femicide persist. The body remains a battleground for fascists and reactionaries of all stripes. The rise of masculinists and virilists is a manifestation of this. The mobilization against the prostitution system emerged, referencing our great anarchist figures such as Emma Goldman, Louise Michel, and the Mujeres Libres, as well as pornography and surrogacy, which resulted in an increase in the number of wombs for rent. Women came forward to testify against pornographic prostitution at the Rosen Hicher March and following the publication of *Sous nos regards, Récits de la violence pornographique* (Under Our Gaze: Stories of Pornographic Violence).
As for other themes, such as the precariousness and poverty of women, strikes in highly feminized sectors, the questioning of alternatives to criminal conviction or prison, mobilizations on an international level against wars and forced displacements, the abundance of books, and some films, on women communards and anarchists, the increasing number of actresses, singers, musicians, creators - moreover young - all these themes and many others show the vitality of what women are able to renew tools and forms of their affirmation towards their own emancipation.
The Rebel Voices have given us a date to meet again in 20 years: let's do it! Until then, here are four audio documents corresponding to the four sessions of Saturday, June 20, 2026. Each link contains the recording and program for each session, the text of the presentation by the Free Women team, and a selection of photos related to each session.
The 40th Anniversary of the "Femmes libres" Program - Episode 1 - Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 89.4 FM
The 40th Anniversary of the "Femmes libres" Program - Episode 2 - Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 89.4 FM
The 40th Anniversary of the "Femmes libres" Program - Episode 3 - Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 89.4 FM
The 40th Anniversary of the "Femmes libres" Program - Episode 4 - Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 89.4 FM
We cherish warm, yet deeply moved, memories of these moments we shared. We are committed to preserving this space for feminist and libertarian radio expression, and it remains open to feminist initiatives and creative endeavors.
Hélène Hernandez
Co-host of the show "Femmes libres" (Free Women)
http://emission-femmeslibres.blogspot.com/
Libertine Radio 89.4 FM
Every Wednesday from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=9083
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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