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Women of the resistance

Ermelinda Duarte

Culture and censorshipactressauthor and performer of “Somos Livres”dubbing actress
Born
1946, Lourenço Marques (now Maputo)

An actress and singer. She wrote and sang “Somos Livres” (We Are Free) — “a seagull was flying, flying” (uma gaivota voava, voava) — the song that was born in 1974 in a play by the Teatro Estúdio de Lisboa and became one of the most popular anthems of freedom.

An actress with the Teatro Estúdio de Lisboa (Lisbon Studio Theatre) from 1969, she had studied at the Lisbon Faculty of Letters.12

In 1974 she appeared in Lisboa 72-74, the chronicle that Luzia Maria Martins wrote for the Teatro Estúdio de Lisboa, in which the song she had written and composed, “Somos Livres” (We Are Free), also known as “Uma Gaivota Voava, Voava” (A Seagull Was Flying, Flying), was heard for the first time.314 The arrangements were by José Cid.4 RTP counts it among the most popular songs after the overthrow of the dictatorship and the end of censorship, and filmed her singing it in 1975, with Braga Santos on guitar.45 In 2015 the series Memórias da Revolução (Memories of the Revolution) told the story of the song.6

She also wrote “Manuel”, which Ana Maria Teodósio recorded in 1971; later she devoted herself mainly to dubbing cartoon series.2

From the archives

  • Ermelinda Duarte’s single with “Somos Livres” (We Are Free), published by the Valentim de Carvalho label, which dates it to 1975: two songs of her own, with arrangements by José Cid. The song had been born in 1974 in the chronicle “Lisboa 72-74”, by the Teatro Estúdio de Lisboa.

    Original page Licença padrão do YouTube — embed permitido pelo canal oficial da editora Valentim de Carvalho

    Edições Valentim de Carvalho, on YouTube. The player only connects to that site when you press “Watch”.

In other archives

These can only be viewed on each archive’s own website.

In the timeline

  1. 1974

    “Somos Livres” (We Are Free): Ermelinda Duarte’s song is born in the theatre

They crossed paths with her

  • Luzia Maria Martins

    1927–2000

    A stage director and playwright, called the mother of Portuguese independent theatre. She founded the Teatro Estúdio de Lisboa (Lisbon Studio Theatre) and confronted the censors; it was in her chronicle “Lisboa 72-74”, in 1974, that “Somos Livres” (We Are Free), by Ermelinda Duarte, was heard for the first time.

Notes on the sources2
  • The year and place of birth come only from Wikipedia (6 October 1946, Lourenço Marques).
  • When “Lisboa 72-74” opened and when the record of “Somos Livres” came out: RTP says the song is from 1974; the Valentim de Carvalho label dates the single to 1975.

Do you know more, or do you have a document? Tell us.

Sources

  1. 1Marta Brites Rosa, Luzia Maria Martins (Lisbon, 27/05/1927 – Lisbon, 13/09/2000). DramaOnline — Dramaturgia portuguesa dos séculos XX e XXI (dir. Sebastiana Fadda); versão revista da entrada do Centro Virtual Camões — consulted on 3 October 2026
  2. 2Ermelinda Duarte. Wikipédia — consulted on 3 October 2026
  3. 3A mãe do teatro independente num Largo da Quinta dos Barros. Câmara Municipal de Lisboa — Toponímia de Lisboa, 2013 — consulted on 3 October 2026
  4. 4Canção «Somos livres» (Noticiário Nacional, janeiro de 1975). RTP Arquivos — consulted on 3 October 2026
  5. 5João Carlos Callixto, Ermelinda Duarte («Gramofone», 2019). RTP Arquivos (RTP Memória) — consulted on 3 October 2026
  6. 6Memórias da Revolução: Ermelinda Duarte e a canção «Somos Livres» (2015). RTP Arquivos (série do Instituto de História Contemporânea da NOVA FCSH e da RTP) — consulted on 3 October 2026

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