Augusto Boal
Boal presenting a workshop on the Theatre of the Oppressed at the Riverside Church in New York, 13 May 2008.
Born	(1931-03-16)16 March 1931 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died	2 May 2009(2009-05-02) (aged 78) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Occupation	Theatre practitioner
Genres	Theatre of the Oppressed
Influences Bertolt Brecht • Paulo Freire • Karl Marx

Augusto Boal (16 March 1931 - 2 May 2009) was a Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical popular education movements. Boal served one term as a vereador (the Brazilian equivalent of a city councillor) in Rio de Janeiro from 1993 to 1997, where he developed legislative theatre.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Boal was born in Rio de Janeiro as the son of José Augusto Boal (a Portuguese Baker) and Albertina Pinto (a housewife). As an undergraduate, Boal got a degree in Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ (then known as Urca). He took an interest in theatre at an early age, preparing skits for family members along with his three brothers, but he did not become involved in the theatre scene until after completing his masters degree. After graduating from the UFRJ, Boal went to New York in 1952, where he studied at the School of Dramatic Arts at Columbia University while also pursuing his masters degree in Chemical Engineering. Among Boal's theatre professors was John Gassner, who had also taught Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller.^[2] Gassner introduced Boal to the techniques of both Bertolt Brecht and Constantin Stanislavski, and encouraged Boal to form links with theatre groups like the Black Experimental Theatre. In 1955 Boal staged productions of two of his own plays The Horse and the Saint and The House Across the Street.^[3] In 1956, shortly after graduating, Boal was asked to work with the Arena Theatre in São Paulo, southeast Brazil.^[4] Boal was in charge of directing plays along with other dramaturgs such as Jose Renato, who was also the founder of the Arena Theatre. It was here that he began to experiment with new forms of theatre never before seen in Brazil, such as Stanislavski's 'system' for actors, with which he became familiar during his time at Columbia and when involved with the Actors Studio in New York. Boal adapted these methods to social conditions in Brazil, taking a leftist approach on issues concerning nationalism, which were very much in vogue at that time period since the country had just undergone a long period of military dictatorship.^[5]

Work at the Arena Theatre of São Paulo[link]

While working at the Arena Theatre in São Paulo, Boal directed a number of classical dramas, which he transformed to make them more pertinent to Brazilian society and its economy. Among these plays was John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, known in Brazil as Ratos e Homens. This was Boal's first performance as a director at the Arena Theatre of São Paulo. Critics acclaimed this piece and Boal won the Prêmio de Revelação de Direção (Direction Revelation Award) from the Association of Art Critics of São Paulo, in 1956. In the early sixties, the ratings at the Arena Theatre of São Paulo started to drop, almost causing the theatre to go bankrupt. Consequently, the company decided to start investing in national theatre (pieces written by Brazilian dramaturgs) as a move that could possibly save it from bankruptcy. The new investment proved to be a success, opening up the path for a national theatre scene. Boal then suggested the creation of a Seminar in Dramaturgy at the Arena Theatre, which was quickly implemented and soon became a national platform for many young playwrights. Many successful productions were born from this Seminar and now form part of the Arena Theatre of São Paulo's nationalist phase repertoire. One of these productions was Chapetuba Futebol Clube, written by Oduvaldo Vianna Filho in 1959 and directed by Augusto Boal.^[6]

Exile[link]

A new military regime started in Brazil in 1964 with a coup d'état supported by the Brazilian elite, the church and the middle class, as well as by the United States (in fear of communism).^[7] Boal’s teachings were controversial, and as a cultural activist he was seen as a threat by the Brazilian military regime. In 1971, Boal was kidnapped off the street, arrested, tortured, and eventually exiled to Argentina,^[8] where he stayed for 5 years. During those 5 years, Boal published two books: Torquemada (1971) and his much acclaimed Theatre of the Oppressed (1973). Torquemada is a book that talks about the systematic use of torture in prison.^[9] Boal takes the name of the leading figure of the Spanish Inquisition, Tomas de Torquemada as an example of historical forms of systematic torture. In Theatre of the Oppressed Boal develops a theatrical method based on Pedagogy of the Oppressed, a book by the Brazilian educator and writer Paulo Freire (who was also a good friend of Boal).^[10] Boal's method (which has been implemented in various communities around the world) seeks to transform audiences into active participants in the theatrical experience. Boal argues that traditional theatre is oppressive since spectators usually do not get a chance to express themselves, and that a collaboration between both parties, in contrast allows spectators to perform actions that are socially liberating. The method, as Boal liked to explain, seeks to transform spectators into "spect-actors." ^[11] When the political climate in Brazil forced Boal into exile in 1971, he initially went to Peru and Brazil where he completed and published his seminal theoretical work The Theatre of the Oppressed and consolidated his conscientizaacao (consciousness-raising) theatre work based on the idea of Brazilian educationalist Paulo Friere.^[12] Friere's methods were a revolt against the elitist 'top down' approach to education and he advocated critical awareness based education models. Boal's work in Peru with the ALFIN project, a movement which sought to use a range of languages including 'artistic languages' to eradicate illiteracy, developed his ideas and methodology away from the agit-prop of his Brazilian Arena Theatre days and sought to engage theatre as a pedagogical tool. Crucial to this time was Boal's attempts to break down the divisions between spectator and actor. It is around this time that invented the term 'spect-actor', a term which he saw as establishing the frameworks within which he wished to work.^[13] He saw that the passivity of the spectator could be broken down by the following steps by which the spectator becomes the spect-actor: 1) Knowing the body (by body he means both the individual 'body' and the collective 'body' in a Marxist sense) 2) Making the body expressive 3) Using theatre as a language 4) Using theatre as discourse After living in Argentina, Boal travelled to other countries in South America such as Peru and Ecuador, where he worked with people in small and usually poor communities that dealt with conflicts such as civil wars and lack of government attention. Boal was of the opinion that only the oppressed are able to free the oppressed. In Peru, Boal practiced his Forum theatre method, in which spectator replaces actor to determine the solution to a given problem presented by the actor, which can also be a real problem someone in the community is facing. Boal also lived in Paris, France for a number of years, where he created several Centers for the Theatre of the Oppressed, directed plays, and also taught classes at the Sorbonne University. Boal created the first International Festival for the Theatre of Oppressed in 1981.^[9]

While Boal was in exile, his very close friend and Brazilian musician Chico Buarque wrote him a letter that would later result in the Chorinho hit called Meu Caro Amigo or My Dear Friend (1976). In this song, Buarque tells his friend about the situation in Brazil at the time, addressing the military dictatorship in a very subtle but clever way (due to censorship issues, many artists couldn't express themselves freely).^[14] The melody of the song is very happy and upbeat while the lyrics explain:

My dear friend, please forgive me, if I can’t pay you a visit, but since I found someone to carry a message, I’m sending you news on this tape. Here we play football, there’s lots of samba, lots of choro and rock’n'roll. Some days it rains, some days it’s sunny but I want to tell you that things here are pretty dark. Here, we’re wheeling and dealing for survival, and we’re only surviving because we’re stubborn. And everyone’s drinking because without cachaça, nobody survives this squeeze. ^[15]

Back in Brazil[link]

After the fall of the military dictatorship, Boal returned to Brazil after 15 years of exile in 1986. He established a major Center for the Theatre of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro (CTO Rio), whose objective was to study, discuss and express issues concerning citizenship, culture and various forms of oppression using theatrical language. Boal's work in the CTO made way for the approval of a new law that protects crime victims and witnesses in Brazil.^[16] Boal's group has worked next to numerous organizations that fight for human rights. In 1992, Boal ran for city councillor in Rio de Janeiro as a theatrical act, and he was elected. Boal's support staff was his theatre group, with whom he quickly developed various legislative proposals. His objective was to work out issues citizens might be facing in their communities through theatre, and also to discuss the laws of the city of Rio with people on the streets. After having worked to transform spectator into author in Theatre of the Oppressed, Boal initiates the Legislative theatre movement process, in which voter becomes legislator. Boal is known to say that he did not create laws arbitrarily while he was city councillor. Instead, he asked people what they wanted. Other politicians were not very fond of this. Out of 40 of Boal's proposed laws, only 13 got approved during his term as councillor of Rio de Janeiro. His term ended in 1996, but he continued performing legislative theatre acts with different groups in Brasília, where 4 more laws got approved even after Boal had left. Boal also worked with prisoners in Rio and São Paulo. Boal argued that people in prison are not free in space, but that they are in time, and that the Theatre of the Oppressed strives to create different types of freedom so that people are able to imagine and think about the past, the present, and invent the future instead of having to wait for it. All this was in order for prisoners to have "a healthier and more creative lifestyle." People in the Movimento sem Terra or Landless Workers Movement of Brazil also experienced working with Boal's theatre methods. Boal's son Julián worked along with his father and now continues to take the Theatre of the Oppressed to various communities in Brazil and around the world. In 2008, Augusto Boal was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and in March 2009, he received the title of "World Theatre Ambassador" from the UNESCO.^[17]

Death[link]

Augusto Boal died 2 May 2009 at age 78 in Rio de Janeiro. He died of respiratory failure after a long battle against leukemia.^[18] Critic Yan Michalski argues that Augusto Boal is the best-known and most respected Brazilian theatre practitioner abroad.^[19]

Influences[link]

Augusto Boal presenting his workshop on the Theatre of the Oppressed. Riverside Church, May 13th 2008.

Most of Augusto Boal’s techniques were created after he realized the limitations of didactic, politically motivated theatre in the poor areas where he worked. He found that his attempts to inspire the people living in poor or 'slum' areas to rise up against racial and class inequality were inhibited by his own racial and class background, since he was white and comparatively financially comfortable. His new techniques allowed the idea of rebellion and the impetus for change to come from within the target group. Much of his early work and teaching was inspired by Marxist philosophy, although through his career he had not been restricted by this and much of his work now falls within the boundaries of a centre left ideology.

Paulo Freire was a major influence on Boal’s teachings. He and Freire became close in later years. When Freire died, Boal said "I am very sad. I have lost my last father. Now all I have are brothers and sisters".^[1]

Boal is also known to quote William Shakespeare's Hamlet, in which Hamlet argues that theatre is like a mirror that reflects our virtues and defects equally. Although Boal finds this quote beautiful, he likes to think of theatre as a mirror in which one can reach in to change reality and to transform it.^[20]

Published works[link]

[edit] Theatre of the Oppressed (London: Pluto Press, 1979)

Arguably Augusto Boal's most academically influential work^[21][22][23] is the Theatre of the Oppressed, in which the reader follows Boal’s detailed analysis of the Poetics of Aristotle and the early history of Western theatre. Boal contends that the Aristotelian ethic means of oppressing the masses, the people, the workers and the spectators in favour of stability and the continued dominance of a privileged few. He argues that the Tragi-drama, a formulaic drama style which today could be considered similar to that of soap operas, helps the State promote its continued existence. He sees the Brazilian government as an example of an oppressive state using theatre to propagate its oppressive system. He then outlines his early theories and practices for attempting to reverse the paradigm. It also talks about Newspaper Theatre, attempting to talk about local problems and present it to the audiences, Forum Theatre, currently used in over 70 countries, Invisible Theatre, used to discuss political activity and Image Theatre. Theatre of the Oppressed has been translated to more than 25 languages over the years.^[24] Boal also talks about Invisible theatre in which an event is planned and scripted but does not allow the spectators to know that the event is happening. Actors perform out of the ordinary roles which invite spectators to join in or sit back and watch. One example was in a restaurant at the Chiclayo hotel, actors sat at separate tables and informed the waiters in loud voices that they could not eat the food. The actor stated that the food was not good. The waiter says the diner could pick something else to eat. So the actor chose a rather expensive item off the menu and says he will be able to pay for it. The actor mentions he has no money and he would be willing to work for it. This display made other diners start discussing the price and treatment of workers at this hotel. This act allowed spectators to think about issues that were going on but were brushed over because the issue did not directly involve them.^[25] Analytical theatre is when a participant tells a story and the actors improvise it. Each character is broken down into all the social roles they could follow and the participants choose an object to symbolize the role. This aspect of theatre allows the participants to see how there are multiple roles a person could follow.^[25]

[edit] Games For Actors and Non-Actors (London: Routledge, 1992; Second Edition 2002)

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

This is probably Augusto Boal's most practically influential book, in which he sets down a brief explanation of his theories, mostly through stories and examples of his work in Europe, and then explains every drama exercise that he has found useful in his practice. In contrast to Theatre of the Oppressed, it contains little academic theory and many practical examples for drama practitioners to use even if not practicing theatre that is related to Boal's academic or political ideas. Boal refers to many of these as "gamesercises", as they combine the training and "introversion" of exercises with the fun and "extroversion" of games. It has been influential in the development of Community Theatre and Theatre in Education (T.I.E.) practices worldwide, especially in Europe and South America. These games include Carnival in Rio and Your Friend is Dead.

[edit] The Rainbow of Desire: The Boal Method of Theatre and Therapy. (London: Routledge, 1995)

This book re-evaluates the practices commonly associated with the Theatre of the Oppressed for a new purpose. It has been argued that Boal contradicts himself with this take on his work,^[26] as it mostly concerns itself with creating harmony within society, whereas his early work was concerned with rebellion and upheaval. Boal states that, "Theatre is the passionate combat of two human beings on a platform."^[26] However, Boal's works can be seen as a progression and exploration of a Left Wing world view rather than a unified theory. In the context of those under-represented in a society, his methodology can be used as a weapon against oppressors. In the context of those in a society who are in need of catharsis for the sake of their own integration into it, it can be switched round to empower that individual to break down internal oppressions that separate that individual from society. The theories have been useful in the pioneering field of drama therapy and have been applied by drama practitioners. Boal states in his work that there are three properties of the aesthetic space. First, is plasticity. He says that one can be without being. Objects can acquire different meaning such as an old chair representing a kings throne. He states that only duration counts and location can be changed. Second, is that the aesthetic space is dichotomic and it creates dichotomy. This idea suggests that there is a space within a space. The stage is in front of the audience and the actor is creating his own space. Third, is telemicroscopic. This idea creates the idea that it is impossible to hide on stage. Every aspect of the space is seen and it makes the far away close-up.^[26]

Other books[link]

• Legislative Theatre: Using Performance to Make Politics. London: Routledge, 1998.
• Hamlet and the Baker's Son: My Life in Theatre and Politics. London: Routledge, 2001.
• The Aesthetics of the Oppressed. London: Routledge, 2006.

Recognition[link]

Augusto Boal receives the Crossborder Award for Peace and Democracy. Abbey Theatre, April 3rd 2008.

In 1994, Boal won the UNESCO Pablo Picasso Medal,^[27] and in August 1997, he was awarded the 'Career Achievement Award' by the Association of Theatre in Higher Education at their national conference in Chicago, Illinois. Boal is also seen as the inspiration behind 21st Century forms of performance-activism, such as the "Optative Theatrical Laboratories".

Boal received The Cross Border Award for Peace and Democracy by Dundalk Institute of Technology in 2008.^[28][29] He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008.^[30][31] Boal has in many ways influenced many artists in new media with his participatory modes of expression, especially as the World Wide Web has become such a powerful tool for participation and communication. Notable examples include Learning to love you more, happenings, and Steve Lambert's Why They Hate US.

See also[link]

Find more about Augusto Boal on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

Theatre portal

References[link]

External links[link]

• International Theatre Institute - Author of the World Theatre Day Message 2009 Augusto Boal
• International Theatre of the Oppressed Organisation.
• Theatre of the Oppressed Laboratory - New York City worked with Boal from 1991
• Augusto Boal Interview on Democracy Now! in 2005
• Augusto Boal, Founder of the Theatre of the Oppressed, Dies at 78 Interview on Democracy Now! in 2007
• Guardian Obituary, May 6, 2009
• New York Times Obituary, May 9, 2009
• A Tribute to a Brazilian Writer Who Made Theater into a Weapon for the Oppressed June 28, 2009
• Giolli, an italian cooperative that works with his method Agost 11 2009
• Cardboard Citizens - The UK's Theatre of the Oppressed Practitioners
• Centre for Community Dialogue and Change, India: Breaking Patterns, Creating Change - Conducting Theatre of the Oppressed Workshops and Research especially in Education and Healthcare

Boal
—  Municipality  —
Coat of arms
Boal Location in Spain
Coordinates: 43°25′43″N 6°49′6″W / 43.42861°N 6.81833°W / 43.42861; -6.81833Coordinates: 43°25′43″N 6°49′6″W / 43.42861°N 6.81833°W / 43.42861; -6.81833
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Asturias
Province	Asturias
Comarca	Eo-Navia
Judicial district	Valdés
Capital	Boal
Government
• Alcalde	José Antonio Barrientos (PSOE)
Area
• Total	120.28 km2 (46.44 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,201 m (3,940 ft)
Population
• Total	1,863
• Density	15/km2 (40/sq mi)
Demonym	boalés / boalesa
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	33720
Official language(s)
Website	Official website

Boal (Eonavian: Bual) is a municipality, a civil parish and a town in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias (Spain). It borders north with El Franco and Coaña, south with Illano, west with Castropol and east with Villayón.

The main way of access to the municipality is the regional road AS-12, which connects Navia with Grandas de Salime. The whole municipality has a population of 1,863 inhabitants, whereas there are about 600 inhabitants in the capital town.

Etymology[link]

Etymologically, it is usually considered that "Boal" comes either from the Indo-european languages, *bod- (stream, ditch), or from the Latin, bove or *bovale (ox). Although some authors believe that "Boal" could be understood as the expression of an old anthroponym or person name, Bovali (iler) or Baudiliu (adducing the form Baudali), it is common to consider its original meaning either as "terreno frecuentado y apropiado para el pasto del ganado vacuno" ("land frequented and appropriate for the grazing of cattle") or as "corral de bueyes o dehesa boyal" ("corral for oxes or ox pasture". In fact, Corominas mentions in Aragonese boalage, boalar, "dehesa boyal" ("ox pasture") as derivatives of boal, which would be at the same time a variant of boyal, "perteneciente al buey o al ganado vacuno" ("belonging to ox or to cattle") .

History[link]

Ancient times[link]

There still remain traces proving the existence of settlements in this municipality in a time prior to the arrival of Romans. Although it is supposed that there were already populated enclaves in the area during the Paleolithic, there are no remains of this time, so such a supposition could not be demonstrated. Nevertheless, remains of the Neolithic have reached up to the present day. For example, several burial mounds were found in the mountain range of Penouta in what is one of the vastest burial mound fields in the whole Asturias, with 72 catalogued tombs. Likewise, dolmens near Llaviada (nowadays disappeared) are supposed to date from this time, together with the oscillating granitic mass known as Penedo Aballón (located near Penouta, and knocked down in 2004, probably by a few vandals).

From the Bronze Age (approximately 1500-1100 b.C) are believed to date the anthropomorphic paintings (both masculine and feminine) found in the Cova del Demo ("Cave of Devil" in English), located near the hamlet of Froseira, in the civil parish of Doiras.

All the preceding facts, together with the signals of mining work devoted to the extraction of metals and, especially the Celtic fortifications of Pendia, Los Mazos and La Escrita also prove the aforementioned pre-roman settlements. The subsequent Roman presence, after the conquest carried out by the legions under command of General Publio Carisio (the X Gemina and the V Alaudae), left imprints such as several coins and ceramics fragments, as well as probably the origin of the names of some small villages such as Vega de Ouria, likely due to the presence of some river gold working in that time. In those days, it is believed that the area corresponding to the civil parish of Castrillón was populated by the astur tribe of Pesicos, whereas the area located western from the Navia River would have been inhabited by the gallaeci tribe of Albions.

After about four centuries of roman domination, the barbarians entered the Iberian Peninsula, and Suebi settled down in the western area of Asturias, reaching their maximum expansion about the year 450. It is known that later arrived Visigoths, that occupied the whole territory about 584. However, there are very little archaeological remains of all those populations.

Middle Ages[link]

Little is known about the history of Boal at the beginning of the Middle Ages, during the asturian monarchy. The fights between the bishops of Oviedo and Lugo for the territories located between the rivers Navia and Eo came to an end by means of an agreement promoted by the king Alfonso VII. Thus, all those territories and Boal included among them were submitted to the bishop of Oviedo by donation in the year 1154, under the generic denomination of territory of Castropol.

In 1368, the bishop D. Gutierre, appointed Alvar Pérez Osorio as "governor" of the Tierra de Ribadeo y Grandas, which comprised the current municipalities of Boal, Castropol, Coaña, El Franco, Grandas de Salime, Illano, Pesoz, San Martín de Oscos, Santa Eulalia de Oscos, Tapia, Taramundi and Vegadeo, having up to 41 parishes. This was a time of many violent uprisings because of the high taxes Pérez Osorio obliged the inhabitants of the area to pay.

Subsequently, bishops created several villages and municipalities, so at the beginning of the 16th century, the Tierra de Ribadeo was divided into five municipalities: Castropol, Piantón, Barres, El Franco and Grandas, with Boal belonging to the municipality of El Franco.

Modern Ages[link]

This system of municipalities was in force until the arrival of the King Felipe II, who obtained permission from the Pope Gregory XIII to divide and sell any town, place and jurisdiction, what allowed him to obtain financing for wars and to pay the great debt he had. There were attempts of buying jurisdictions by some individuals (with the intention to advance in the social scale), but the most usual was the buying by the people.

This favored that in those years Boal disassociated from the Church. In 1579, Alonso López de Navia y Bolaño, an inhabitant of the town of Navia, gave power to Pedro Bermúdez to arrange with Alonso de Camino, who initially registered the parishes of Serandinas, Boal, Doiras, Pesoz, Coaña, Trelles, Villacondide, etc., expecting to buy them, for shortly after transferring the parishes of Boal, Serandinas and Doiras to Rui Garcia de Cangas in order to reduce expenses.

The fears of the people of villages to depend on the lords, considering the abuses they committed against their inhabitants, led them to "buy themselves" and to incorporate to the Crown. Thus, the parishes of Boal, Serandinas and Doiras were redeemed in 1580, starting to have the jurisdictional status of "realengo" (directly depending on the King).

The definitive independence of Boal as a municipality took place in 1584, when representatives of the inhabitants of its parishes met, drawing up the first local regulations and agreeing on the way to choose the offices of town councilors, mayor, constables, attorneys, etc. Thus, parishes became towns with civil and criminal jurisdiction, and representatives would meet once a year to choose the aforementioned offices. In this time, the capital of the municipality changed and it was hold in several of its villages (Prelo, Armal, Castrillón, and the town of Boal), but it definitely returned to Boal in 1791.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, in which the clearly predominant activities in Boal were agriculture and cattle farming, beautiful family seats and palaces were built in the municipality, but at present most of them are almost completely disappeared, although with some exceptions such as the Palace of Miranda, in the village of Prelo. There is no doubt that the 18th century was the most prosperous for the municipality because, in addition to the fundamental farming activities, the craftwork industries became noticeably important too, and by the middle of this century there were 4 fulling mills, 8 mallets to stretch iron, one forge, and 42 mills for grain.

19th century[link]

It is also known that during the Spanish War of Independence the French troops occupied Boal in the belief that the town hosted a weapons factory. A group of inhabitants of Boal took part in the "Alarma del cerezal" (a group of people who met to avoid an invasion or to defend from the enemy), but they could not avoid Maurice Mathieu’s soldiers to invade the town on March 19, 1809, establishing a camp in Llaviada, and causing numerous deaths, plundering and damages.

A few years later, in 1814 and 1820, Serandinas unsuccessfully tried to became a municipality independent of Boal. Furthermore, in July 1823 noticeable damages were caused by a group of about 24 robbers commanded by Miguel Álvarez Samartino de la Trapa, who stole money from the taxes income and tore documents of the municipal secretary’s office. It is believed that two inhabitants of Armal could have taken part in these happenings, but they could not be captured as people in their village would have covered them up.

During the Carlist Wars the municipality was invaded again: in 1836, a guerrilla group commanded by San Breixo entered in Boal, but he was captured in the following year and subsequently executed by firing squad in the cemetery of Piantón by a militia formed in Boal. Shortly after, in 1837, it was inaugurated the parish church devoted to Santiago Apóstol, and in 1842, the town hall and the jail.

It is also worth mentioning other events that took place in the municipality in this century. Among them is the cholera epidemic of 1854 and 1855, although it was not excessively virulent. That was not the case of the smallpox epidemic of 1870, much more serious and deadly.

Also in the 19th century, Boal saw the birth of one of its most distinguished figures, Bernardo Acevedo y Huelves, whose name was later given to the municipal library. Among his works it is worth highlighting "Boal y su concejo" ("Boal and its municipality"), a very clarifying picture about the way of life and the customs in the municipality at the end of the 19th century, which also shows the importance the industry of iron forge (at present disappeared) had by that time.

In connection with this, it is worth mentioning the uprising that took place in 1895, in which the forgers of the municipality destroyed all the machines for making tacks that Víctor Sánchez, a local businessman, was installing in the village of Armal with the aim to start a strong tacking industry able to face the great external competition, especially that English one, which finally made unfeasible the traditional means of working iron in the municipality.

20th century[link]

The end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th were years of important migratory flows, especially to the Americas. From these years date several large houses, property of emigrants who had made fortune in the Americas, such as for example Villa Anita. In addition, the money furnished by many emigrants contributed decisively to the construction of various schools in several villages of the municipality and the elementary school of the capital town, known as "Las Graduadas", in 1934, which was promoted by the "Sociedad de Instrucción Naturales del Concejo de Boal" ("Association for the Education Natives of the Municipality of Boal") in La Habana (Cuba). Also in these years several public washing houses were built in the municipality.

Some other infrastructures of capital relevance for Boal were built at the beginning of the 20th century. That was the case of the road connecting Navia and Grandas de Salime, with the construction of the stretch from Navia to Boal. Furthermore, in 1934 it was built the dam of Doiras, and in the year 1951 it was started the large-scale exploitation of the tungsten mines near Penouta, although they closed in 1961.

The decadence of tungsten mining, which had employed up to 254 workers, and the end of the construction of the big reservoirs along the Navia River, together with the gradual abandonment of cattle farming (still at present the main economic activity of the municipality) led to new migratory flows, especially from the 1950s on, but in this case they were directed preferentially to other regions of Spain (the industrialized center of Asturias, Madrid, etc.) or to Europe (Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, etc.), giving rise to a progressive depopulation that still continues at present.

Geography[link]

Physical geography[link]

Being located in the middle basin of the Navia River, the municipality of Boal is crossed by that river from south/south-east to north-east, where its course acts as a natural border with the neighboring municipality of Villayón. On its way through this municipality, the Navia River is dammed first in Doiras, and later, downstream, by that of Arbón, already located in Villayón. Two noticeable tributaries pouring their water on the Navia River in the municipality of Boal are the Urubio River (in the reservoir of Doiras) and the Pendia River (in the reservoir of Arbón).

The main elevation of the terrain is located already bordering with the municipalities of Illano and Castropol: it is the range of La Bobia, of 1,201 m above sea level. It is also worth mentioning La Cristaleira (1,036 m) in the southern area of the municipality, Pena Queimada (921 m) in the north-western area, Penouta (899 m) in the northern zone (from there it is possible to see a wide panoramic view of the coast from the municipality of Navia to the environs of Foz, in the province of Lugo) and Penácaros (732 m) in the central area. The capital town of the municipality is located relatively far away from the main valley of the Navia River, in the headwaters of the Pendia River and surrounded by the three aforementioned mountains, at about 450 m above sea level.

Civil parishes[link]

Town Hall of Boal

General view of Boal.

The municipality of Boal is divided in 7 civil parishes:

• Boal (in Eonavian: Bual): 1,098 inhabitants.
• Castrillón (in Eonavian: Castriyón): 227 inhabitants.
• Doiras: 171 inhabitants.
• Lebredo (in Eonavian: Llebredo): 16 inhabitants.
• La Ronda (in Eonavian: A Ronda): 75 inhabitants.
• Rozadas: 200 inhabitants.
• Serandinas (in Eonavian: Serandías): 253 inhabitants.

(Source: INE)

Main populated places[link]

• Boal: 588 inhabitants.
• Armal: 166 inhabitants.
• Miñagón: 120 inhabitants.
• Doiras: 110 inhabitants.
• Rozadas: 89 inhabitants.
• Prelo: 76 inhabitants.
• Serandinas: 72 inhabitants.
• Los Mazos: 58 inhabitants.
• Castrillón: 52 inhabitants.
• Sampol: 51 inhabitants.

(Source: INE)

The town of Boal[link]

Partial view of Boal.

The town of Boal is the head of its civil parish and also the capital of the homonymous municipality. It is located in the south-eastern mountainside of the Penouta range near the headwaters of the Pendia River, at about 450 m above sea level. It has a population of 588 inhabitants, being they distributed among the three main districts which the town consists of:

• Boal de Arriba (Upper Boal): this is the historical nucleus of the village, with narrow streets (Alonso Rodríguez Street and Buenos Aires Avenue) where the older houses are located, together with the fairground that hosts the cattle market, and the cemetery.

• Zona central (Central area): includes the Plaza de la Iglesia (Church Square), where the parish church devoted to Santiago Apóstol is located, the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (Town Hall Square) and the Asturias Avenue, where the Casa de Cultura (House of Culture) that hosts the municipal library, and most of the shops and bars, restaurants and hotels are located. This area includes also the Everardo Villamil Street and the Republic of Cuba Avenue.

• Boal de Abajo (Lower Boal): it has grown along the AS-12 road (Melquiades Álvarez Street and Isidoro Fontana Street) and the Rosalía de la Cruz Street, hosting some interesting examples of the architecture of those emigrants who had made fortune in the Americas, among which we can stress the Casa de Damiana (1919) and, already on the road out of the village in direction to Grandas de Salime, Villa Anita (1926), decorated with glazed tiles in all its façades. Moreover, the elementary school (Escuelas Graduadas, nowadays called Centro Público de Educación Básica Carlos Bousoño) and the high school, together with the municipal sports center and pool are located in this area.

Demography[link]

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During the first decades of the 19th century the municipality of Boal kept a slow increase of population that was noticeably accelerated with the construction of the dam of Doiras in 1930, reaching in that year its historical maximum of 7,365 inhabitants. The relatively high levels of population remained until 1960, not just because of the dam but also because of the tungsten mining near Penouta and because of the existence of a traditional agriculture requiring a lot of labor. Thanks to all these factors, the municipality of Boal could be once the most populous one in the middle course of the Navia River. Nevertheless, from 1960 on and due to the closing of mines and to the changes experienced by the traditional agriculture, a very important migratory flow started.

Emigration has marked the municipality in different ways. By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th one, the migratory flow went overseas, to the Americas, especially to Argentina and Cuba, from where emigrants kept their influence in the municipality. A proof of that are the very important money transferences they made and which allowed the construction of different buildings, as well as their promoting of the education of the remaining youth in Boal. All this flow of money was interrupted by the Cuban revolution.

By the middle of the 20th century emigration started again and strongly, but this time it was directed to different destinations: to the centre of Europe, France, Germany, and also to the main industrial towns and cities of Asturias, especially Gijón and Avilés, etc.

All these facts have brought a dramatic change in the demographic figure of the municipality, to the point that, as it can be observed on its representation, at present people over 60 years old constitute up to 41,4% of the total population, whereas people below 20 years old represent just as low as 10,8%.

Economy[link]

Although the percentage of workers is clearly a majority in the service sector (see table), its weight is quite lower than the regional mean, and it is not crazy to state that still at present, economy in Boal is based to a large extent on cattle farming, which employs almost one third of the working population, and is mainly destined to milk production, being Boal the main producer among the western municipalities in Asturias.

In recent years apiculture has experienced a noticeable growth, becoming honey one of the most typical products in the municipality. In spite of this, this activity is usually in a secondary place, constituting an extra-earnings source for many families, but not the main one. Nevertheless, as a proof of the importance of apiculture for the municipality, it is worth mentioning the famous Feria de la Miel (Honey Fair). Moreover, a few years ago it started working the company Boal Apícola, which markets about 20 tons of honey a year.

Politics[link]

The political party that has been ruling during more time in the municipality of Boal since 1979 has been the PSOE (see list of mayors of Boal). The current mayor is the socialist José Antonio Barrientos, who is in his office since 1999, having been re-elected twice.

Gastronomy[link]

In this mainly agricultural and farming municipality we can taste infinity of natural products, among which it is worth mentioning its excellent vegetables, beans and the great quality potatoes. Thus, Boal’s traditional cooking makes use of all those resources to have among its most typical dishes the stock with "cimois" (rapini) or collard greens.

Being this municipality rich in meat, such as veal, pork, kid, lamb and mutton, etc., it is not surprising other dishes such as the meat or sausages pie, the lacón with rapini and "cachelos" (pieces of cooked potato) or the corn "rapa" (similar to a pie but using corn and bacon) have a prominent place too. Game constitutes another important chapter in Boal’s cooking, being frequent pieces such as roe deer and wild boar, apart from partridge, Eurasian woodcock and hare.

Regarding sweets and pastry, it is worth mentioning "cocadas", "venera" (a kind of almond-based marzipan) and "cereixolos". Moreover, honey has a huge variety of applications on the local cooking, which is not surprising taking into account that it is a typical product in the municipality having widely-recognized quality. And, of course, it is possible in Boal to enjoy the rest of asturian typical dishes.

Tourism[link]

Front façade of Villa Anita.

Front façade of Villa Damiana.

Its most ancient signs are the cave paintings in the Cova del Demo. They are male, female and zoomorphic paintings. We can also find different architectural examples: palaces, large houses and churches, among which it is worth mentioning the following:

• The Miranda Palace in Prelo, built during the 15th and 16th centuries and declared "well of cultural interest" in 1982. At first it consisted in a square tower with three floors that was subsequently extended. It had small openings that were later enlarged. The main body of the palace has two floors in the back side and one floor in the front side, due to the unevenness of the terrain. Above the entrance door it is placed a big coat of arms belonging to the family González de Prelo y Castrillón. Between the tower and the chapel there is an extra body, with corridors supported by stone columns. The chapel dates from 1776, having rectangle floor with two loopholes in both wings, and two Rococo-inspired altarpieces painted in black and white. The wooden sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries were removed because of the bad situation of the ceiling.

• The Berdín Palace in Doiras, from the 18th century, which attracts the attention because of its great size and its walls without any kind of decoration. It is constructed with masonry, with blocks of stone. Its floor has a U shape, and in the façade of the central courtyard there is a gallery above monolithic columns.

Building of the elementary school "Escuelas Graduadas".

Inside of the public Washing House of Boal

• The Palace of Armal, with the typical structure of the rural large houses: rectangular floor, built with masonry and slate, and having very little decoration.

• Villa Anita: it was built in 1926 by an emigrant to Cuba. It is a villa with a T-shaped floor, with three floors, in which English influences can be observed, together with Japanese ones and others from the Middle Ages. The façade is decorated with white ceramics (glazed tiles from Talavera) on its wings, having the main façade plant patterns. There is a glazed balcony on the first floor. The roof has two wings and it is covered with slate, and over the eaves it has some wooden decoration made of cut borders. The inside is as rich and well-preserved as the outside.

• Villa Damiana, built in 1919, is also a wonderful example of the historically-inspired architecture.

• Old Elementary School "Escuelas Graduadas" in Boal: this school was built between 1930 and 1934, promoted as other public works in the municipality by the "Sociedad de Instrucción Naturales del Concejo de Boal", founded in La Habana, Cuba (this was due to the high number of emigrants from Boal who had gone to that country in search of fortune) although it had also money contribution from the state and from emigrants in Buenos Aires. It is a great building constructed with stone, with large windows and two entrances framed by big porchs, because boys entered by one wing whereas girls entered by the opposite one. All the roofs have big wooden eaves.

• The Church of Santiago Apóstol in Boal, built between 1831 and 1837, with a Latin cross-shaped floor and a lateral porch built of granitic blocks of stone.

• The public Washing House in Boal, built thanks to the money sent by emigrants to the Americas and inaugurated in 1928. It has been recently restored and transformed into the Center for the Interpretation of the Washing Houses in the municipality of Boal. The building exhibits an important constructive wealth with a functional style, having mouldings and pinnacles, and it is a good example of the charitable anxiety for their native villages and for the poorest people of the returning emigrants.

• Casa de la Apicultura is an apiculture museum.

Festivities[link]

The municipality of Boal hosts a great number of festivities and fairs. Among the most important ones we can stress the following:

• On May 15: the feast in honor of San Isidro which is hold close to its hermitage in the mountain near the Penouta range.
• On June 13 and 14: the feast in honor of San Antonio in Armal.
• On July 24, 25 and 26: the feast in honor of Santiago Apóstol, in Boal. On July 21 and 22, the feast in honor of the Virgen de la Magdalena in Doiras.
• On August 25: the feast in honor of San Luis in the homonym village.
• In October/November: the Feria de la Miel (Honey Fair) at the last weekend of October or the first one of November.

It is also worth mentioning the fortnightly market that takes place in Boal, hosted on every alternate Mondays. In addition, there are also several cattle markets during the year. Two of them are hosted in the fairground of Boal on the second Saturday of October and on the last one of April, and other two are hosted in the La Bobia range: on May 29, that of San Fernando and on June 26 that of San Pelayo.

People from Boal[link]

• Celestino Álvarez, writer and journalist immigrated to Cuba.
• Carlos Bousoño, poet and literary critic.

See also[link]

• List of mayors of Boal
• Castrillón (Boal)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Boal

• (Spanish)Federación Asturiana de Concejos (Asturian Association of Municipalities)
• (Spanish)Boal in the Guía del Occidente (Guide of Western Asturias)
• (Spanish)Situation of the reservoir of Doiras
• (Spanish)Boal in asturiasturismo.com
• (Spanish)Personal website about Boal, with infinity of pictures of the municipality
• (Spanish)Monograph about Boal in the journal La Nueva España
• (Spanish)Fundación Parque Histórico del Navia (Foundation Historical Park of the Navia)
• (Spanish)Compendium of etymologies in asturian toponymy
• (Spanish)Search engine of asturian place names in the journal La Nueva España

v t e Municipalities in Asturias Allande Aller Amieva Avilés Belmonte de Miranda Bimenes Boal Cabrales Cabranes Candamo Cangas de Onís Cangas del Narcea Caravia Carreño Caso Castrillón Castropol Coaña Colunga Corvera de Asturias Cudillero Degaña El Franco Gijón/Xixón Gozón Grado Grandas de Salime Ibias Illano Illas Llangréu/Langreo Laviana Lena Llanera Llanes Mieres Morcín Muros de Nalón Nava Navia Noreña Onís Oviedo Parres Peñamellera Alta Peñamellera Baja Pesoz Piloña Ponga Pravia Proaza Quirós Las Regueras Ribadedeva Ribadesella La Ribera/Ribera de Arriba Riosa Salas San Martín de Oscos San Martín del Rey Aurelio San Tirso de Abres Santa Eulalia de Oscos Santo Adriano Sariego Siero Sobrescobio Somiedo Soto del Barco Tapia de Casariego Taramundi Teverga Tineo Valdés Vegadeo Villanueva de Oscos Villaviciosa Villayón Yernes y Tameza

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)

The Oppressed NYC at the A7 Tribute Show.

The Oppressed is a Welsh anti-fascist Oi! band that formed in 1981 in Cardiff. Most of the musicians in the band's various lineups were skinheads. Throughout the band's career, the members (especially vocalist Roddy Moreno) openly expressed opposition to racism and fascism — in their lyrics, interviews, on-stage comments and other actions. In 1989, Moreno visited New York City and met a few members of Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP). On his return to the United Kingdom, he started promoting SHARP ideals to British skinheads.^[1][2] The band has also had ties to other anti-racist groups, such as Anti-Fascist Action. Moreno is a Cardiff City F.C. supporter, and some of the band's songs express that support.

The band has split and re-formed several times. Their more recent split was in 2006, but they re-formed in 2009, and continue performing today. Roddy Moreno - Vocals / Guitar. Dom Moreno - Bass. Steve Floyd - Guitar. Tony Kizmus - Drums.

Discography[link]

EPs[link]

• Never Say Die (1983)
• Victims / Work Together (1983)
• Fuck Fascism (1995)
• 5-4-3-2-1 (1996)
• They Think Its All Over...It Is Now(1996)
• Anti-Fascist Oi! (1996)
• Best of The Oppressed Bonus 7 Inch (1996)
• The Richard Allen Tribute Single (1997)
• Strength In Unity (1997)
• The Noise (1997)
• Oppressed / Fatskins (1998)
• Out on The Streets Again (1999)
• Football Violence (2009)

LPs[link]

• Oi!Oi! Music (1984)
• Fatal Blow (1985)
• Dead & Buried (1988)
• Dead & Buried / Fatal Blow Reissue (1996)
• The Best of The Oppressed (1996)
• Music For Hooligans (1996)
• We Can Do Anything (1996)
• Live (Llanrumney Youth Club 1984) (1997)
• More Noize For The Boys (1998)
• Skinhead Times (double CD) (2005)
• "Won't Say Sorry" The Complete Cover Story (double CD) (2005)

DVD[link]

• Brotherhood: The Oppressed/The Prowlers Live in Toronto - 4.30.05 (2008)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Interview with Cardiff City fanzine

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