ArtFemine, the Festival of Feminist Love
This blog is a product of work of the participants in NEW MEDIA IN ACTION workshop, held by Leila Šeper, within the first ArtFemine Festival. This year’s theme, women and media, drew numerous inspiring persons from the region, who live feminism.
The blog itself is conceived to celebrate differences among us, and we dare you to read it. These days, Niš has been a home to feminist love and solidarity. We leave stronger than ever, looking forward to our future time together!
What is ArtFemine?
Creativity. Energy. Excitement. Unexpected situations. New plans. Old plans. Changes. Stress. Happiness. Satisfaction. A beginning. New experiences. New women. Reunion with “old” friends. Endless happiness! Hanging out. Sharing experience, unbelievable energy. Learning. New beginnings, new experiences. Action. Unique feeling. ArtFemine. (Silvija)
To me, feminism is…
You educate a man, you educate a man. You educate a woman, you educate a generation. So lets work for our generations through feminism. (Arvina Dibra)
To kill is not a heavy word, but feminism is a heavy word.
To rape is not a heavy word, but feminism is a heavy word.
“Weaker sex” are not heavy words, but feminism is a heavy word.
“You cannot do it because you are a woman” are not heavy words, but feminism is a heavy word.
I am a feminist.
I don’t kill
I don’t rape
I am neither weaker nor stronger sex
I can do anything even though I am a woman
I am a feminist
I have a daughter and
I never gave her a baby doll to play with when she was one
I showed her
all the colours of the rainbow, not just a pink one
I’ve taught her to
love in a different way
To believe she can do anything
So that no one can tell her
“you cannot do it because you are a woman”
Anyway, she got a Barbie doll for her birthday
And I don’t have anything against her playing with it and building a library for her doll
I have a husband and I didn’t mind his cleaning the bathroom
His making lunch, and we talk about the thing we do
I am a feminist
I don’t kill
I don’t rape
I learn together with other women
I learn how Roma women live
I learn how village women live
I learn how women politicians live
I learn how women doctors of philosophy live
I learn about women with other women
I work with them for them
I am a feminist
I don’t work for them
To kill is an extremely heavy word.
To rape is an extremely heavy word.
Feminism is a light word.
It is to me
the air that I breathe,
the job that I do,
every story of every woman that I have ever met.
Every change that came as a result of our learning together.
To me, feminism is my daughter saying: “Granpa, I am not a handyman, I am a handywoman”. (Tanja)
What inspired me is…
I feel inspired by the hard work that the Center for Girls does in supporting young feminist girls in the region. They are an inspiration to me for their lively spirit, hard work, resistance and persistance to speak up about obscure parts of patriarchal society, fighting for equality and feminism. Their ideas of engaging art in their work and their mission helps in an emancipated, sensitive and collaborative community. Tatjana Nikolić is a real leader and a strong feminist, an inspiring activist. (Besara Podgorica)
I leave richer in…
Even though I live in Niš and I’m not physically leaving, I plan to return to the Festival by remembering wonderful women I have met and new experiences I have gained. At each festival, I learn something more about myself and my personality, about limits and how my creativity is sometimes limitless. (Maja Kamenov)
I leave richer in few stories of women who delighted me and surprised me, richer in a beautiful, liberating experience that made my sexuality free, and richer in a badge saying that this July wonderful women gathered at one place and created their feminist story, which we will continue to create on the portal as long as there is energy necessary to give us a driving force to say WE ARE PRESENT using makeshift, that is, wool! 🙂 (Aleksandra)
Am I coming back next year?
Since we are in the film editing and directing business, we plan to deal with the subject of feminism through a serial of films and show women of different destinies, mothers, businesswomen, rich and poor, and make them visible in that way. We hope that we will be able to show some of these films at the next ArtFemine Festival. (Stanimira Sapundzhieva, Filipa Filipova)
За да запознаам прекрасни жени дури и од мојата земја, за да ме инспирираат со нивните лични приказни и работа, да откријам нови облици за да се канализирам и да се ћуствувам убаво како жена. (Frosina, Elena)
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