The story of my grandmother and the feminine strength that transcends time

Abstract

In this text, I recount my childhood memories in the rural area of Chapada Velha, Bahia. I highlight the strength and resilience of my grandmother, whom I regard as a symbol of female resistance. I describe my perception of her journey: a woman who, despite patriarchal conventions, sought to broaden her horizons, even though at times she yielded to the social pressures of her era. I also recall practices of community care, promoted by my grandmother, which reinforced the idea of sorority and female protection within the village where she lived. I understand the interweaving of my grandmother’s life story with the broader transformation of women’s social roles over the decades, noting key milestones such as the Statute of the Married Woman (1962) and the Maria da Penha Law (2006). Even so, I recognize that her perception of feminism was received ambiguously, as she viewed it through the stereotypes of her time. My memories are marked by the closeness between us and by the impact of losing her. From this perspective, I emphasize the importance of reading the memory diary she wrote, which offered me a new understanding of her experiences, helping me to reframe my own grief in the face of her passing.