A-Infos (en) France, Monde Libertaire - The 40th Anniversary of the "Femmes libres" (Free Women) Program on Radio Libertaire! (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

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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