Confronting Extractivism & Corporate Power

Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) worldwide defend their lands, livelihoods and communities from extractive industries and corporate power. They stand against powerful economic and political interests driving land theft, displacement of communities, loss of livelihoods, and environmental degradation.


Why resist extractive industries?

Extractivism is an economic and political model of development that commodifies nature and prioritizes profit over human rights and the environment. Rooted in colonial history, it reinforces social and economic inequalities locally and globally. Often, Black, rural and Indigenous women are the most affected by extractivism, and are largely excluded from decision-making. Defying these patriarchal and neo-colonial forces, women rise in defense of rights, lands, people and nature.

Critical risks and gender-specific violence

WHRDs confronting extractive industries experience a range of risks, threats and violations, including criminalization, stigmatization, violence and intimidation.  Their stories reveal a strong aspect of gendered and sexualized violence. Perpetrators include state and local authorities, corporations, police, military, paramilitary and private security forces, and at times their own communities.

Acting together

AWID and the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD-IC) are pleased to announce “Women Human Rights Defenders Confronting Extractivism and Corporate Power”; a cross-regional research project documenting the lived experiences of WHRDs from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

We encourage activists, members of social movements, organized civil society, donors and policy makers to read and use these products for advocacy, education and inspiration.

Share your experience and questions!

Tell us how you are using the resources on WHRDs Confronting extractivism and corporate power.

◾️ How can these resources support your activism and advocacy?

◾️ What additional information or knowledge do you need to make the best use of these resources?

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Thank you!

AWID acknowledges with gratitude the invaluable input of every Woman Human Rights Defender who participated in this project. This project was made possible thanks to your willingness to generously and openly share your experiences and learnings. Your courage, creativity and resilience is an inspiration for us all. Thank you!

Related Content

I am a women human rights defender (WHRD) and am currently under threat. Where can I go for help?

The AWID Forum Access Fund

We strive to make the AWID Forum a truly global gathering with participation from a diverse array of movements, regions and generations. To this end, AWID mobilizes resources for a limited Access Fund (AF) to assist some participants with the costs of attending the Forum. 

The 14th AWID International Forum will take place 11-14 January 2021, in Taipei, Taiwan. 


How will  the Access Fund be allocated?

For this AWID Forum, there will be no application process. 

Access Fund grants will be allocated by invitation only to:

  • Two  persons per activity selected for the Forum program (decided by those organizations, groups or individuals organizing the activity) 
  • Participants who identify as part of Priority Forum  Constituencies (PFCs) recommended by the organizations, networks and groups who are co-creating the Forum with AWID. 
  • PFCs are those which we consider would strengthen our collective power as movements, are not centered in mainstream feminist movements, and whose Feminist Realities we would like to honor, celebrate and visibilize: 
    - Black feminists 
    - Indigenous feminists
    - Trans, gender non-conforming and intersex feminists
    - Feminists with disabilities 
    - Feminist sex workers and informal workers, including migrant workers
    - Feminists affected by migration 
    - Women affected by drug policy
    - Feminists from the Forum regions (with a focus on the Pacific and mainland China) 

In addition, AWID will fund approximately 100 participants from the Forum’s location. Forum Committee Members (Content and Methodology, Access and Host) as well as those in the Artists Working Group [link] are also granted Access Fund support.

What does the Access Fund cover?

For selected participants, the Access Fund will cover the cost of their:

  • Flight
  • Accommodation
  • Visa
  • Local transportation in Taipei
  • Travel medical insurance

The Access Fund will NOT cover their: 

  • Forum registration fee
  • Transportation to and from the airport in their city of departure
  • Other incidental costs

Apart from the Access Fund, how can I fund my participation at the Forum?

We have listed other ideas on how to fund your participation at the AWID Forum on the Funding Ideas page. 

More Funding Ideas

Snippet She is on her way_Fest (ES)

Sesión plenaria:

"Ella está en camino":
Alternativas, feminismos y otro mundo

Felogene Anumo, AWID
Dr. Vandana Shiva, India
Dr. Dilar Dirik, Kurdistan
Nana Akosua Hanson, Ghana

ver plenaria

 

2008: la Conferencia Internacional de Doha se lleva a cabo con resultados limitados

Conferencia Internacional de Seguimiento sobre la Financiación para el Desarrollo, Doha, Qatar

  • La Conferencia de Doha se propuso examinar la aplicación del Consenso de Monterrey. Retomó las seis áreas de la financiación para el desarrollo, pero los progresos sustantivos alcanzados fueron mínimos.
  • Si bien el Documento Final de Doha fue más allá que el de Monterrey en cuanto a la igualdad de género, tampoco avanzó lo suficiente. En su declaración, el WWG subrayó que los compromisos de la Declaración de Doha en materia de igualdad de género solo tendrán sentido si se abordan decididamente las cuestiones sistemáticas que subyacen a la pobreza y la distribución desigual de poder y recursos en la economía política global.
  • Además de la conferencia central, en Doha se desarrolló un foro paralelo de la sociedad civil organizado por el Doha NGO Group for Financing for Development [Grupo de ONG en Doha por la Financiación para el Desarrollo, DNG en inglés] que exigió cambios estructurales en la economía global, así como políticas que dieran prioridad a los derechos de los pueblos, respetaran y promovieran los derechos humanos.

AWID Member Community Guidelines

Co-creating welcoming and safe spaces

The co-creation of our feminist realities starts with ourselves and how we treat each other. We are dedicated to creating and protecting safe and supportive spaces for our communities both online and in person. We also consider that safe and welcoming spaces are co-owned and co-created.

We  expect our members to act in a manner that is ethical, responsible and consistent with the values of AWID and assume collective responsibility to ensure an atmosphere of mutual respect and solidarity. 


All AWID members are encouraged to: 

  • Connect with others, help break isolation and further solidarity.  It’s easy to feel lost and alone, and a little friendliness and responsiveness goes a long way.

  • Interact and engage peacefully. Differences in opinion will naturally arise, so please think of these differences as useful for expanding your thinking and ways of seeing the world.

  • Help build a space that recognizes and validates multiple lived experiences and diversities of bodies and gender expressions. Recognize that we all carry intersectional identities.

  • Use inclusive language. Be respectful of how people want to be referred to in terms of gender identity or expression (like pronouns), and practice inclusive language. 

  • Listen and make adjustments in your behavior and ways of engaging if someone says they feel uncomfortable. Don’t ask others questions that you wouldn't want to be asked yourself.

  • Help challenge oppressive behavior, which includes harassment, verbal or physical violence, violation of consent, and any action that perpetuates classism, ageism, ableism, racism, misogyny, heterosexism, transphobia and other oppressions.  If needed, please reach out to AWID staff. 

  • Practice speaking and listening with an open mind and heart and without judgement.

  • Be honest, open and heartfelt. Speak and share authentically about your experiences, your challenges, your hopes and dreams, and your vision for your own life and your community.

  • Practice active listening and self-awareness. Be aware of how much time and space you are taking up- leave room for others, practice active listening and learning.

  • Be mindful and credit others for their work and activism. Remember that we are all working collectively to contribute to change-- Ensure that you recognize the contribution of others and credit them when appropriate e.g. in discussions, or in articles, pictures etc.

  • Stay safe! We encourage you to take measures to protect yourself online and in person, especially if you have reason to believe that speaking out will put you in danger. Members may use aliases or profile images that conceal their identity. For more information please refer to the Digital Security First Aid Kit for Human Rights Defenders produced by APC - Association for Progressive Communications. 

  •  Respect the privacy needs of others! Do not share or forward any information without explicit permission.


Our Values

Solidarity 

We take a position in solidarity with each other and diverse struggles for justice and freedoms. We strive to mobilize and strengthen collective action and practice meaningful ways of working with each other.

Human rights

We believe in a full application of the principle of rights including those enshrined in international laws and affirm the belief that all human rights are interrelated, interdependent and indivisible. We are committed to working towards the eradication of all discriminations based on gender, sexuality, religion, age, ability, ethnicity, race, nationality, class or other factors.

Responsibility, Accountability, and Integrity

We strive for transparency, responsible use of our resources, fairness in our collaborations and accountability and integrity with our members, partners, funders and the movements with(in) which we work. We are committed to reflecting on our experiences, sharing our learnings openly, and striving to change our practices accordingly.

Intersectionality

We believe that for feminist movements to be transformative and strong we must continue to work across our similarities and differences. We also must interrogate power and privilege both within and outside our movements.

Bodily autonomy, integrity and freedoms

We celebrate everyone's right to choose their identities, relationships, goals, work, dreams and pleasures, and what they do with their mind, body and spirit. We believe in working towards access to resources, information and safe and enabling environments that allow this to happen.

Justice and systemic change

We work towards a world based on social, environmental, and economic justice; and interdependence, solidarity, and respect. We work towards dismantling systems of oppressive power and against all its manifestations, including patriarchy, fundamentalisms, militarisms, fascisms and corporate power that threaten our lives and our world. We want a just world where resources and power are shared in ways that enable everyone to thrive.


Please note:  

AWID reserves the right to delete comments, suspend or revoke membership when our community guidelines have been violated. AWID members are not authorised to represent AWID in any official capacity unless stipulated in writing. Members cannot use AWID spaces to proselytize or recruit members to join a religious faith or organisation. Members cannot use AWID spaces to request funds for personal use although links to external fundraising efforts or activism campaigns are permissible.
 

Snippet Day 14_Fest (FR)

L’histoire derrière Crear, Résister, Transform

Coumba Toure

regardez la vidéo


Discours de clôture: Et maintenant, où allons-nous?

Cindy Clark, AWID

regardez la vidéo


Fem Joy: Fête de clôture!

DJ Miss Ray
DJ Luana Flores
Phoenix Inana

2014: lacement du processus préparatoire de la 3ème Conférence sur le FdD

Lancement du processus préparatoire intergouvernemental de la troisième Conférence sur le financement du développement, octobre 2014

  • Un processus préparatoire, co-facilité par l’ambassadeur guyanais George Wilfred Talbot et l’ambassadeur norvégien Geir O. Pedersen, a été instauré pour mener des discussions préliminaires relatives à la troisième Conférence sur le FdD prévue en juillet 2015 à Addis Abeba, en Éthiopie.
  • Dans le cadre de ces préparations, deux séries de séances de fond informelles ont été organisées au siège  de l’ONU à New York  afin d’apporter des éléments d’information pouvant servir aux sessions de rédaction du futur document final.
  •  À cette occasion, le WWG sur le FdD a été réactivé dans le but d’intégrer les perspectives féministes et de défense des droits des femmes aux discussions et délibérations, avant et pendant la troisième Conférence sur le FdD. À l’heure actuelle, le groupe est co-animé par l’AWID, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) et la Feminist Task Force (FTF).
  • Le WWG sur le FdD a prononcé deux déclarations  lors de la première série de sessions et présenté un document écrit lors de la seconde. Il a, dans les deux cas, souligné l’invisibilité des inégalités entre les genres dans ce processus préparatoire, tout comme celle de l’inclusion d’autres formes de discrimination et d’inégalité. Le travail du WWG met en lumière les rapports de pouvoir entre les genres et leurs points d’intersection avec d’autres catégories, telles que la race, le handicap, l’appartenance ethnique, l’âge, la richesse et l’identité sexuelle, ce qui accentue la répartition inégale des chances et des ressources dans toutes les sociétés de la planète.
  •  Les organisations de la société civile se sont dites inquiètes de l’étroitesse de l’espace qui leur a été accordé pour prendre part aux deux sessions de fond informelles. Elles ont notamment évoqué le risque que l’espace de participation de la société civile aux négociations portant sur le document final de janvier 2015 ne soit lui aussi limité.

Yo, Imposible proyección: la guía de participación

Snippet Festival In Review - Presentation (EN)

A Festival For Feminist Movements

Do you want to be inspired by the creative resistance strategies of feminists from all over the world? Do you want to discover feminist initiatives that show us how we can all live in a more just world? Do you want to learn about models of feminist care and healing to bring to your own community? Is that a resounding yes that we hear? YES!

Then check out Crear | Résister | Transform: a festival for feminist movements. This festival took place virtually throughout the month of September 2021 across all of AWID’s platforms, and now you can experience it on your own time.

The Festival was a multicultural and multilingual experience.

The panelists participated in their preferred language and at AWID we included subtitles on the videos for your accessibility.

July 2015

Women's Forum on Financing for Gender Equality

  • The Forum took place on 10 July 2015 in Addis Ababa and convened feminists, grassroots women, gender advocates, academics and representatives of women’s rights organizations/networks with specific inputs by UN representatives and other policy makers.
  • The objectives of the Women's Forum were to: share information on the state of play in the latest FfD negotiations; jointly analyze the FfD panorama and follow-up; build a common women’s rights positioning; and strategize on how to meaningfully and substantively engage from a feminist perspective at the Addis FfD Conference.
  • The Women's Forum was organized by the Women's Working Group on FfD, in collaboration with FEMNET, African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) and the Post 2015 Women's Coalition with support from UN Women.
  • Read the Women's Working Group reaction to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda

CSO FfD Forum

  • The CSO FfD Forum took place in Addis Ababa on 11-12 July 2015 and aimed to: inform participating CSOs on the state of play of the official process and coordinate civil society participation in the 3rd FfD Conference; develop a collective CSO Forum Declaration as well as the CSO messages for the FfD Conference Roundtables, the CSO FfD Group-led side events and any other opportunities that might emerge; and plan and organize future areas of CSO engagement on Financing for Development, beyond the 3rd FfD Conference.
  • Read the Declaration from the Addis Ababa Civil Society Forum on Financing for Development
  • For more information, please visit the CSO FfD Group's website or contact the Addis Ababa CSO Coordinating Group (addiscoordinatinggroup@gmail.com).

The Third UN International Conference on Financing for Development

  • The third Conference on Financing For Development took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 13-16 July 2015 and focused on: assessing the progress made in the implementation of the 2002 Monterrey Consensus and the 2008 Doha Declaration; addressing new and emerging issues, including in the context of the recent multilateral efforts to promote international development cooperation. Taking into account: the current evolving development cooperation landscape; the interrelationship of all sources of development finance; the synergies between financing objectives across the three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental); and the need to support the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015; and reinvigorating and strengthening the financing for development follow-up process.
  • The Addis Ababa Action Agenda was adopted on 15 July 2015 by Heads of State, Governments and High Representatives at the UN.
  • The feeling however from developing countries, CSOs and more specifically women's organisations was that the Addis Ababa Action Agenda failed to meet the target. The Women's Working Group expressed its strong disappointment and demanded structural changes in the global economic governance and development architecture. Read their reaction to the outcome document. Hundreds of civil society organizations and networks from around the world also expressed deep concerns and reservations. Read their response to the outcome document.

Ali Chavez Leeds

tasseography print justice. Print on paper, 4 color screen print, 8.5x11, 2016
Impression sur papier, sérigraphie 4 couleurs, 8.5x11, 2016

«Tasseography» (Tasséomancie)

La tasséomancie est une méthode de divination qui interprète les motifs dans les feuilles de thé et/ou le marc de café. Il s’agit d’une pratique qui se transmet par les femmes de mon côté arménien et qui m’a été enseignée par ma mère, qui elle-même l’a apprise de sa mère, et ainsi de suite. Lorsque je regardais ma grand-mère lire le marc de café du café arménien préparé pour la famille et les amis, je remarquais que, souvent, elle voyait ce qu'elle avait envie de dire. Ces gravures disent certaines des choses que j’ai envie de voir dans le monde ; j'espère que vous aussi.  

Our Promise
Impression relief sur papier, 11 × 14 in, 2021

«Our Promise» (Notre promesse)

Cette gravure célèbre la résilience, le sacrifice et la force des combattant·e·s de la liberté de l’Asie du Sud-Ouest et de l’Afrique du Nord à travers l'histoire et la solidarité qui existe. Elle a été inspirée à l'origine par un article que j'ai lu sur une exposition organisée à Tatvan, un district de Bitlis, qui mettait en lumière la présence arménienne dans la région. Mes ancêtres sont originaires de Bitlis, se situant aujourd'hui sur le territoire de la Turquie actuelle.

looking at the cup
Impression relief sur papier, 8.5 × 11 in, 2020

«Looking at the Cup» (Regarder la tasse)

La tasséomancie (la lecture du marc de café) est une pratique culturelle utilisée par les femmes arméniennes depuis des siècles pour se parler entre elles et les unes aux autres, un langage codé permettant d'entamer des conversations, d'établir des relations et de tisser des liens.

À propos d’Ali Chavez Leeds 

]Ali Chavez Leeds portrait
Ali Cat Leeds (elle/iel) est une artiste et graveuse qui vit sur les territoires non cédés de Cowlitz, Multnomah et des tribus confédérées de Grand Ronde, au confluent de deux rivières, également connu sous le nom de Portland, Oregon. Elle produit ses œuvres sous le nom de Entangled Roots Press. Ses impressions mêlent le littéral et le métaphorique pour éclairer et commenter le monde qui nous entoure. Les impressions en relief, sérigraphiques et typographiques vont du carnage de la déforestation à la beauté des mouvements des peuples. Les impressions d'Ali s'inspirent d'histoires ancestrales et s'orientent vers des avenirs libérateurs ; elles enchevêtrent les leçons des jardins, les symboles dans le marc de café, les fils tissés d'Arménie et d'Euskal Herria, jusqu'à la page imprimée.

CFA FAQ - Funding - AR

تمويل مشاركتك

Snippet Relive the Festival_Fest (EN)

Relive the Festival

¿Cuál es el tema del 14° Foro Internacional de AWID?

El tema del 14° Foro Internacional de AWID es «Realidades feministas: nuestro poder en acción».

Entendemos las realidades feministas como los diferentes modos de existir y ser que nos muestran lo que es posible, a pesar de los sistemas de poder dominantes, y en desafío y resistencia contra ellos. Entendemos estas realidades feministas como recuperaciones y corporizaciones de esperanza y poder, multidimensionales, dinámicas, y arraigadas en contextos y momentos históricos específicos.

Leer más sobre las realidades feministas

Feminist Embodiments of Hope and Power

A Film Series on Feminist Realities from the SWANA region


by Esra Ozban

In a product-obsessed world, prioritizing process is a fundamental feminist method. Processes matter, and curation is no exception. While figuring out which of the films from the SWANA region would speak the loudest to the Feminist Realities theme, the global pandemic we are still facing shifted our everyday lives tremendously. Even to think, write, or express myself has become an everyday struggle. I kept missing all of my deadlines and sending apology emails to Kamee Abrahamian, whom I was working with as an independent curator for AWID’s Feminist Film Club. Kamee’s invaluable support, understanding, and suggestions reminded me that even in two different parts of the world, as colleagues who never met in person, we can co-create micro versions of the Feminist Realities for which we live and yearn. 

Feminist Realities for me have a lot to do with sisterhoods. Sisterhoods that help womxn clearing mines in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh. Sisterhoods baked in Vegan Inclusive Trans Cake by young trans feminists in Ankara that remind cis-ters that they are not welcomed by the Z generation. Sisterhoods that are growing into the mint on Dragica Alafandi’s rooftop in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Occupied Palestine in Sowing seeds of resistance. Sisterhoods that embrace intimate, sexual, and revolutionary proximities in Gezi Park in #resistayol. Sisterhoods that unearth an imagined encounter between two generations of womxn in exile in the streets of Haifa in Your father was born 100 years old and so was the Nakba. Cross-species sisterhoods that build in a fictional (brave) space created by Mounia Akl in Submarine for her rebel character Hala, who refuses to evacuate from a city full of garbage and is left behind with a dog friend.
 
This selection gathers bits and pieces of many Feminist Realities that have been realized in the SWANA region over the last couple of years. We will continue to imagine, learn, and share feminist embodiments of hope and power. In the meantime, let’s immerse ourselves in the powerful alternatives brought to life by the filmmakers and protagonists of these films. We may co-create every step, every act, and every attempt as we continue to cohabitate this world with others who are living Feminist Realities and continue to dream more of them into existence. 



MOTHERLAND 


By Emily Mkrtichian& Jesse Soursourian

“With beautiful visuals paired with compelling verité scenes, Motherland is a show of female camaraderie and strength… The film is a testament of women around the world who are willing to work harder to overcome any obstacle they meet.”
    - Nosarieme Garrick, award winning filmmaker

“Motherland is an inspiring visualization of solidarity, courage, and grit…”
    - Hers is Ours Collective, organizers of the Outsider Moving Art & Film Festival

Motherland from jesse soursourian on Vimeo.

Emily Mkrtichian on Feminist Realities and Artsakh/NKR:
We shot the short film, Motherland, in the Republic of Artsakh in 2018. I was drawn to each of these women for their strength, their resilience and their humor -- despite the context in which they lived. In 2018, that context was the aftermath of a brutal war in the 1990’s, after which their country remained an unrecognized (or, in the international community, disputed) territory that was not given the autonomy and independence so many other countries enjoy. Artsakh was also deeply affected by the consequences we see in almost all places that go through violent conflict -- consequences that so often fall on women to bear: PTSD, high rates of alcoholism, high rates of domestic abuse, less equality and freedoms granted to women, little to no representation of women in politics and civil service. In the face of all these challenges, this film tries to capture the fire and power of the women of Artsakh, one that might not fit the traditional Western feminist paradigm, but one they have created for themselves through deep community ties, care for their families, hard work, and the ability to laugh with eachother through it all. Today, the Republic of Artsakh has been newly devastated by another war that left it without 70% of the lands these women grew up understanding were theirs. Yet, I can promise you that these women, and thousands of others, continue to pull their families, communities, and culture together through the same networks of care, commitment to hard work, and deep riotous laughter in the face of an uncertain future. 



SOWING SEEDS OF RESISTANCE


By Baladi-Rooted Resistance

“A timely film to watch after having born witness to the latest bombardment of Gaza by Israeli Defence Forces. A glimpse into the way that women in Palestinian communities survive structural oppression, through the story of a library of traditional seeds.. and the women that sustain them as a form of nourishing rebellion.”

    - Jessica Horn, PanAfrican feminst strategist, writer and co-creator of the temple of her skin


“Watching women coming together and working collectively for food autonomy is both therapeutic and empowering for me.”
    - Hers is Ours Collective, organizers of the Outsider Moving Art & Film Festival

Baladi-Rooted Resistance Team on Feminist Realities:
How to talk about Feminist Realities when you live in Deheisheh, a Palestinian refugee camp, built 70 years ago to serve 3000 refugees, but now home to 15000 people, in the occupied West Bank? Or when the land you farm is under constant threat by illegal settlers.
If you’re a woman in occupied Palestine you will have to struggle not only against patriarchy but also against colonialism and a brutal military occupation. 

Dragiča and Vivien are fighting these multiple systems of domination in their own way. 
Vivien uses native seeds to help Palestinians maintain their identity. Growing traditional food in traditional ways has great significance: “If you’re not a producer anymore, you’re a consumer, and what better way to enslave someone than turning them into your consumer. This is happening all around the world, but here you have it doubled with the military occupation.”

31.5% of households in the West Bank are food insecure. Through a rooftop edible garden, Dragiča managed to increase her family’s food autonomy. In the crowded camp, where the Israeli army conducts regular nighttime incursions to arrest and harass residents, Dragiča’s rooftop garden not only nourishes her family, but it especially nourishes her soul.



#RESISTAYOL


By Ruzgar Buski

Ruzgar Buski on Feminist Realities:
I don’t know what to say about Feminist Realities but as a trans artist, an activist from Turkey, I know our realities are harsh. We live with violences- physical, emotional, economical, sexual! That is why we have to build our own networks, and co-creating micro realities for each other is a Feminist Reality for me. #resistayol is my first film, and at the beginning I was planning to make a film by/for/with trans people that does not try to convince anyone to the fact that trans people are human or focuses on raising awareness on trans issues. However, Gezi Uprising, one of the biggest uprising in the history of Turkey, happened and the film became something different. 

I believe the production process really affects what the film is. We tried very hard for women, trans and non-binary people to work on every step of the film. This film is made by people who gathered with camaraderie and friendship. Kanka Productions is founded on transfeminist comradeship. I want the film to give hope, to heal because we carry a lot of traumas in our bodies- this is what makes us and what bonds us. Healing is a never-ending process and we have to create spaces to breath. #resistayol is an hour of breathing collectively.

Boysan Yakar in #resistayol:
Well lubunyas (queers) were sitting in the park, all of a sudden bulldozers arrived and everyone got pissed off. Actually in summary this is it. It's Lubunya's park,and we had thirty days to explain that to this huge city. Everyone acknowledged that at night ibnes (faggots) fuck in that park...LGBTI Block carried our commune there. We already didn't trust the state and police  and didn't have any security, we've established our own ways of doing things, our own laws and customs to survive... We carried our law to Gezi rapidly...With an effort to establish some common language and understanding among all these groups, the LGBT language of togetherness spread all through the park. Every day was a Pride march, everyone was continuously saying ‘ayol’. We spruced up the stinky, fusty language of the left. I guess we had such an impact because we've been disowned for all these years. From the most radical ones to the most conservative and nationalist ones, they all needed us, because everyone got used to being confronted with everything. Τhey were not used to such energy, our energy. That’s why it was a great political space for us. Every day, we actualized our biggest and main struggle there, that is, a struggle for visibility and recognition. That’s why we left Gezi with a huge gain.


VEGAN INCLUSIVE TRANS CAKE


By Pembe Hayat

“...a multifaceted statement, showing the joy that exists in the friendships within the queer  community in Turkey as a display of rebellion and resistance.”
 
    - Nosarieme Garrick, award winning filmmaker

“...fun, light, and random. In a world constantly marked and scarred by violence against the trans community, nothing, no action, is (unfortunately) deprived of meaning. So to more joy, love, and meaningful randomness!”
 

    - Hers is Ours Collective, organizers of the Outsider Moving Art & Film Festival

Cayan Azadi in Vegan Inclusive Trans Cake:
Hello Barbies, Kens, porcelain dolls,  Olive Oyls, cabbage dolls. Brides of Chucky, sisters of Chucky, brother-in-laws of Chucky and last but not least, esteemed brother-in-law lovers.

So why did we make this cake. 

Now we got the news that a trans woman sex worker has attempted suicide due to the violence from street-guards and police on the street. She’s being kept at a police station now and that’s exactly why we made this cake. This transvestite cake is baked to show that we exist in every part of life, that we exist persistently and this cake shows that won’t be wiped off or ignored in this society. 

Yes, there is violence in our lives, yes there is a lot of shade as well but despite all of that, we can still have fun, enjoying life as much as we can. Bon appetit, sis! 


YOUR FATHER WAS BORN 100 YEARS OLD AND SO WAS THE NAKBA  ابوكي خلق عمره ١٠٠ سنة، زي النكبة


By Razan AlSalah


SUBMARINE

By Mounia Akl

“It is directed as a poem is written… simple, a touch abstract, and moving.” 
 
    - Hers is Ours Collective, organizers of the Outsider Moving Art & Film Festival

Esra Ozban:
Esra Ozban is a film programmer and filmmaker from Turkey. Their artistic, curatorial, and scholarly work intersects critical archival practices, sex work, pornography, feminist/queer film cultures among others.


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