Bate-Bola: women in the street

Bate-bola: women in the street was a collective spatial practice that explored the presence of women in public space at night. Through informal football games and open conversations, the project activated the city as a field of encounter, tension, and possibility.

Starting from a simple gesture, occupying a square, playing, staying, the practice confronts the structures that historically restrict women’s access to urban space, especially after dark. Fear and hesitation are part of the experience, but so are solidarity, laughter, and collective strength. As the group moves through the city, from the square to the street, the body becomes a tool for reclaiming space. Playing football, an activity culturally associated with male presence in public space, becomes a political act that challenges norms and redefines who belongs in the city.

Beyond the encounters themselves, the project also sought to engage with institutional structures. A proposal was presented to local government to expand existing regulations on cultural use of public space to include sports practices, advocating for broader recognition of informal and collective uses of the city.

At the same time, a practical guide was developed to support others in occupying the streets through sport, mapping possible locations and sharing strategies for action. This extended the project beyond the event, offering tools for continuity and replication.

Bate-bola was an experiment in occupying, feeling, and transforming urban space through feminist practice.