At an altitude of more than a thousand meters, in the island and rocky mountains of Alto Minho, is the village of Castro Laboreiro, known among its few inhabitants as “Boca Negra”. “The elders say that this name comes from the black color of the mouth dog de Castro Laboreiro,” Bruno Fernandes, a photographer also known as Albano Rodaswho was born 33 years ago in this frontier village belonging to the municipality of Melgas.
In the images created by castrejo over the past seven years, an older woman guides our gaze. “My grandmother Maria plays an important role in the project,” he says. “At 83, she lives for the sun.” During the long summer days, Maria gathers vegetables in the garden, walks with her herd across the plain, and at the end of the day even exchanges a few words with her neighbors, who are getting older and less frequent.
“Summer is also a time for family dinners and get-togethers,” he adds. Although Bruno never lived in Castro Laboreiro but lived in Paris, Braga and Porto, his family has roots there for over a century. “The village has become my refuge; the tranquility of the scenery makes me forget the stress of city life.”
The union of parishes where the village of Castro Laboreiro is located has a total of 503 inhabitants. —less 23.4% than ten years ago, according to census the latest. More than half of them are over 65 years of age, suggesting an unfavorable future for these villages.
O depopulation it is the source of countless problems for those who remain in the village. Without people, “maintaining traditions, pilgrimages, folk festivals” becomes difficult, says photographer resident of Porto, as well as “protection of the biodiversity of the region, its fauna and flora”. “Keeping our dialect, Castro [o mais próximo do galaico-português], our dog and all intangible heritage becomes impossible as it is passed down from generation to generation.” And the lack of public services, he emphasizes, “of which there are fewer and fewer in the village,” only scares away those who want to come up.
Winters in Castro Laboreiro are long, dark and very cold. “The inhabitants knew how to adapt to a hostile territory with an unfavorable climate,” he assures. A small part of the population still shares its stay between mild and winter, depending on the season. This does not apply to her grandmother Maria, who lives in one place all year round. “During the cold months she spends her time in the solitude of remembrance by the fire, in the company of her only salvation, knitting.”
Maria is just one of many women who survived the painful 20th century. “To be immigration village, men went abroad in search of work, money, in order to be able to buy real estate, build houses, ”says Bruno. His two grandfathers lived in France, always leaving their wives in the village of Mignot. Your grandparents’ parents were already immigrants — but the destination then was Brazil.
The women of Castro Laboreiro lived without parents, without grandparents, who often did not return for years. “They left women in black who took on all the responsibilities: childcare, animal care, summer harvests, moving between cold and winter.”
In addition, they traveled miles in smuggling routes, at night, “evading the border guards, loaded with goods bought in Spain at a fairer price.” “My grandmother is one of those women,” says Bruno proudly. “Therefore, the highlight of the project is the castrekha woman in general, her strength and her important role in caring for the family.”
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