In Mem Martins, Sintra, there is a street that intersects with the birth of rap in Portugal, evoking the great FC Porto player, Pinga. In this parish, young people complain that they lack places for entertainment – especially since the only theater in the area was demolished and has been abandoned for ten years. In Chelas, Lisbon, there is a beach football club… yes, beach football, where a champion plays. This Chelas today is very different from the neighbourhood shown in the famous film “Zona J” – precisely 25 years ago. In Casal da Boba, Amadora, cafes have become a cultural and social meeting point. What stories are yet to be told in this Lisbon Metropolitan Area?
These are some of the stories that the digital local newspaper Mensagem de Lisboa will tell from January 11th in the Projeto Narrativas – Undesert the News. They were discovered on the ground, by a team of journalists who worked side by side with local “community reporters”, young people, and residents in Mem Martins (Sintra), Chelas (Lisbon), and Casal da Boba (Amadora) when, at the end of last year, Mensagem’s editorial team moved to the headquarters of the Unidigrazz cultural group in Mem Martins and to the Kriativu space, a youth association in Chelas. In Casal da Boba, we worked with the Cavaleiros-São Brás Association.
The mission of Mensagem is to make known this large and mixed city that operates in interconnected vessels. That’s why we applied for a European grant from the Local Media for Democracy project, funded by the Journalismfund Europe and supported by the European Union. We decided to change the usual course of events with one question in mind: “What stories would those living in the peripheral areas of Lisbon tell if they had the power to do so in the media?”
At a time when defending journalism as a democratic pillar is on the agenda, and in the year when the 50th anniversary of April 25th is celebrated, Mensagem believes that this project is a good way to extend press freedom to those still far from it. The apathy of many living disconnected from accurate and credible information is growing. But it is the obvious path for those who do not find information that concerns them or do not see themselves reflected in what is published.
The usual coverage of the places where Mensagem has been is almost non-existent – that’s why they are called “news deserts”. This was confirmed in a previous analysis conducted by Dora Santos Silva from Obi.media at Nova University of Lisbon and the researcher in social and urban themes, António Brito Guterres – which will also be disclosed.
What we understand is that, on the ground, there are countless stories to tell. Stories of a diverse city, such as Metropolitan Lisbon. Hence the name: Narrativas (Undesert the News in English). Because there are many things to tell and many ways to tell them.
That’s what Mensagem did, as it is their mission to do so.
“Mensagem listened to many people who felt heard for the first time – and many of them spoke to a journalist for the first time ever!” explains Catarina Carvalho, director of Mensagem.
And the impact is already visible. In Chelas, the project accelerated a community newspaper. “It was very enriching and motivating, providing new ideas and showing the different approaches that a dissemination platform can have. Clearly, it was an asset and further strengthens the idea that Mensagem has to be our partner in Gazetta do Bairro“, says Nuno Varela from Kriativu.
You can read, listen to, and watch all the reports from this project on this page.
If you like what you’ve seen us doing, if you get inspired by our stories, if you care about a new Lisbon, more engaging and liveable, if you see any use in this journalism, communitarian and close spare a little bit of your time and consider donating. If you want to be part of this community – join us!
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