On Thursday the moderator of “Rebra Evy” festival Leda Garina has taken part in a program of the radio station “Fontanka”. Here we present an extract from the transmission: could people, who don’t know anything about gender inequality or home abuse issues, attend the festival?
– Of course, we would gladly welcome those, who is interested in this question as well as those who never heard about it. In such situations a strange effect takes place: sometimes we’re being desperately argued that there is no such problem, that it’s only women’s fault, by the way, such phenomena is called “victimblaiming”. However, in my opinion, it’s really difficult to blame the victim for what has happened, considering that in our country one woman in four suffers from the domestic violence, does it mean that all these women are guilty in what has happened? This is an endemic problem. The visitors of the festival are arguing with us sometimes, usually men. Then when they return home, they start writing that they have changed their opinion.

See the programme here: http://vk.com/video-122085041_456239017

We changed our program, though in a special way. We decided to dedicate a package of events to the issue of homeless women. First of all, we are going to watch a video interview with Vlada Petrovskaya, who is an employee of Helsinki civic organisation “Vailla vakinaista asuntoa”, which aim is to help homeless people. Then we are going to listen a lecture by Igor Kaplinsky, the lawyer of Saint-Petersburg civic organisation “Nochlezka” (Homeless Shelter). Igor will speak about the gender aspect of being homeless and how it is taken into consideration in the working process of the organisation.
Afterwards, we are going to watch short movies made by action groups from different regions of Russia and Finland.
Our directions: The Insistute of Finland of Saint Petersburg, 8, B.Konnyschennaya

Monday, 13th June, 6 pm.

The whole program of the festival could be found here:www.rebraevy.ru/ru/category/festival-programme/

Participants of the “Eva’s Ribs” festival from Krasnodar a human rights art-group “Queer-Spectre” held the forum-theatre devoted to the bodypositive matters.

Was the event feminist or, so to say, ”of general interest”? Yes, definitely feminist. And definitely of general interest. Because the creative approach for solving problems is needed for people of different genders. And because rules of courtesy, interaction with each other, respect for other’s personal space are not just women’s subjects and knowledge. Just the other way round – the great part of intruders of personal space, judging from experience, is yet constituted of men. Thus, our event became a meeting and a dialogue; even those who did not have anything to say (did not encounter, did not notice, did not see the problem) understood the opinions of others. In our view, this is a very important point of social events.

On Saturday 14.5. the Finnish group of Eva’s Ribs has presented it’s work for the first time to public during the laboratory “Body as a Conflict Zone: open installations, performances and workshops” at Caisa Cultural Centre, Helsinki. Body as a Conflict Zone consisted of 8 different rooms approaching the subject from variable sides and points of views. One of the rooms was dedicated to violence against women and gender based discrimination – the Eva’s Ribs room.

It took less then a week to turn the basic office room into a space filled with visual, audio and video installations, live performers, articles, statistics and “interactive walls” on which the audience could write their comments, thoughts, opinions or just read the existing ones.

The “Eva’s Ribs” Festival will take place in Saint Petersburg, Russia on June 10-13 2016.

The Festival aims to speak out on gender inequality and violence against women and to make these problems visible.

Behind the carefully put screens of gender-based paradigms one finds systematic violence and exploitation. In our society it seems totally normal to make jokes about such serious topics as rape, depreciating it or even blaming the victim. Russian employers pay female specialists 30 % less salaries than the male ones on the average. Moreover there are 456 jobs which are prohibited for women to apply for, including train operator in metro and fire fighter positions. “Domestic violence law” has been waiting for being considered in State Duma since 1993 and hasn’t been yet discussed for a single time. And it’s completely obvious why, taking into account that there are less than 15% of female deputies in the Russian Duma.

The “F” word

Although the “F” word is being mentioned in the mass media and on the Internet more often still few women choose to call themselves feminists.We asked some activist groups participants of the “Eva’s Ribs” Festival from Russia, Finland and Kazakhstan what kind of “feminism” associations did they have during those times, when they started equality discussions with “I’m not a feminist, but” and what feminism means for them now.
Artistic union “Nadenka” from Omsk and Novosibirsk, “Female voices” performance will be presented on the 13th of June in the Finnish Institute.

Alyona Isahanyan (Алёна Исаханян )
I didn’t think about feminism or any other -isms for a very long time, I just lived following my own goals and it was enough. I didn’t know any feminist in person, but I had this strange semi-mythical semi-historic and absolutely non integral image of some women who were always proving somebody something.Few years ago I came to “School of Engaged Art” in Saint Petersburg and it affected me greatly. It pulled me out from my cozy escapism and forced me to pay more attention to many things and feminism turned out to be one of them. When I had learnt the subject a little bit it felt like I finally discovered THAT word, which could help to express the most part of my views. Moreover I managed to organise them wisely. Feminism and activism inspired me and motivated to struggle my passive approach to some social issues, I started to understand my rights and other people rights in a much better way. Finally I realised that it is something extremely necessary because the more people act the more people can be inspired.I wouldn’t say that my daily routine had been changed greatly, no, it still matches my thoughts and desires. But now there is more information, new coordinates and reference points in my life. I understood that every single person fights for her or his freedom, identity and rights during the whole life process. But being a woman in patriarchal society you have to struggle much more. I discovered the tool and I don’t feel helpless anymore.

Maria Aleksandrova (Мария Александрова)
Since being a child I had this so-called gender ambivalence – I didn’t like to use make-up and wore only comfortable loose clothes. Man’s world was closer and I had a lot of male friends. At the same time I had problems with understanding and accepting so-called female behaviour patterns. I considered feminists to be hysteric, aggressive and men haters, though I didn’t know a single feminist in person.Later some close friends of mine moved to Saint Petersburg, we met in a year and we had this very first conversation, which made me change my mind about women and feminism term in general. Then I found out that some girls from St. Petersburg, who I had met already, they also followed feminist ideas. I started to read different online resources, to analyse my own life and started to see some evident discrimination examples.As for my family I started to speak about my needs and desires more directly. I understood that housekeeping and baby-sitting is important and hard as well as my husband’s job. He gives me money from his salary as a contribution and compensation for his being less involved in our home care. I can say therefore it’s more complicated to communicate now. I am more critical of men and more careful towards women. My female friends often complain about plenty of family issues, relationship problems with their partners, but they don’t want to accept the idea that patriarchal society causes so many troubles for women. On the contrary these women think they are not good and patient enough for the guy and it is the main reason.

Kaz Fem female activists from Kazakhstan (they will present their performance on 13th of June at the Finnish Institute)

Veronica Fonova (Вероника Фонова)

I’ve been changing my opinion about feminism gradually while reading Body Positive online group. There were different stories of real women who started to destroy this artificial concept of some “special female misson” little by little.

Dear friends! You can join our workshops in Helsinki, dedicated to the topic of gender discrimination and violence against women. Workshops are a part of the Eva’s Ribs project, which will result in a festival of of documentary theatre, community-based arts and social initiatives in St.Petersburg in June 2016.

The goal of these workshops will be finding a new way to address and work on the issues of gender discrimination, physical and psychological violence within Finnish society with a help of theatre.

Helsinki workshops will be held on Mondays 11.4.-9.5. at 18-20. On week 19 will be held a more intensive week on the times suitable to the group.

First meeting is on Mon. 11.4 at 18:00 at Helsinki Theatre Academy’s foyer (Haapaniemenkatu 6).

If you want to join please write to [email protected] or call 04543531441 — Anastasia Trizna