Maria Lamas
“I looked around me and began to notice the other women better: some resigned and heroic in their courage and silence.”
Maria da Conceição Vassalo e Silva da Cunha Lamas, Maria Lamas, was born on October 6, 1893. A prominent figure in defending the role of women in society and in the defense of Peace, Maria Lamas toured the country for two years in the execution of one of the most extensive and detailed reports on Portuguese women, which she called ‘The Women of my country’. She participated in the World Peace Congresses, chaired the National Council of Portuguese Women and was part of the direction of the Democratic Unity Movement; after 1974 she became the honorary president of the Democratic Women’s Movement, and joined the PCP. She was arrested three times for investigations, always collecting to Caxias.
In 1962 she went into exile in Paris, where she stayed until 1969 and where she developed a strong political activity in support of portuguese refugees who opposed the fascist regime.
