viernes, 22 de septiembre de 2017

SECOND DAY OF THE II MAGDALENA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL - VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN



The second night of the II Ma(g)dalena International Festival started on a quite sad note. The Guatemala-Xela Magdalenas presented their installation #NosDuelen56, dedicated to the 56 Guatemalan girls that were killed due to government negligence on March 8th, 2017. The work consists of explanatory texts (both in English and Spanish), poetry, images, and a doll crafting table, where visitors are encouraged to create a doll and give her the name of one of the girls who died while protesting against the abuses that were committed on them in the shelter where they were living. After repeating out loud "Stop killing girls! Stop raping girls!", the visitors used the materials to create dolls and poetry dedicated to the girls.

Inside the Studio 1 at Uferstudios Berlin we could also admire the photo exhibition “Marias do Brazil: law and art” by Noélia Albuquerque about the struggle of the Forum Theatre Group Marias do Brazil – composed by women working as housemaids – for changing of the work laws.
The performance of the night was presented by the Group Madalena-Anastácia from Rio de Janeiro, who staged the Forum-Theatre-Musical "Nega ou Negra?" Dressed in white, they first explained where their name comes from. Anastácia was an African princess who was taken as a slave to Brazil and who was tortured to death for fighting oppression. Now Anastácia is a symbol of resistance and for black women in Brazil.

The piece is developed from an aesthetic investigation about the over-sexualized image of the black woman and rape culture. At the beginning of the play, we could see news headers from Brazil that highlighted that sexual violence and rape against black women has grown rapidly in the past years. At the same time, typical Carnival songs glorify rape and racism. The excuse? Music is art and art is culture and culture is freedom - so at least to the Brazilian courts. The theatre play invited the audience to take a critical look at the "culture" that promotes and naturalizes sexism, racism, and violence against black women. The response of the public was various and creative, and at the end, the lyrics of one of the songs were changed so that they would empower black women.


After the forum, the group performed a traditional dance named Jongo, a dance of African origin and danced to the sound of drums. A part of the Afro-Brazilian culture, the rhythm was brought to Brazil by Bantu blacks, kidnapped to be sold as slaves. The dance had a strong influence in shaping the samba and also in popular culture of Brazil as a whole. At the end, the audience was invited to join the dancers on stage and perform a collective dance for (and with the permission of) the ancestors.

















jueves, 14 de septiembre de 2017

FIRST DAY OF THE MAGDALENA FESTIVAL - RACISM AND SEXISM




 Produced by Madalena-Berlin theatre group with the support of KURINGA, space for Theatre of the Oppressed in Berlin, the II Ma(g)dalena International Festival opened its doors at the Berliner Uferstudios on Wednesday 13th September at 7pm.


In spite of the rain, many visitors from the neighborhood and all Berlin gathered to inaugurate a festival that celebrates the progress of the Ma(g)dalena network and seeks effective means to broaden the articulation between feminist theatre groups, social movements and organizations.
The opening day of the festival addressed the intersection of sexism and racism, and focused on the voices of women of color. The first act was performed by Brazilian dancer Fernanda Dias. Faced with crucial episodes in childhood, Dandaluanda, the piece's main character, learns to talk to the Baobab tree and discovers the ancestral force that protects her. Through the conversations with the tree, the girl finds the foundations of her black identity and understands her destiny as queen. Music and dance helped the audience to follow Dandaluanda in this journey of discovery and self-recognition. Fernanda Dias' Portuguese words were dubbed in English so that all the audience could participate in the performance.


In the Forum Theatre piece Schwarz, Black, Preta presented by the group Anastácia-Berlin, black women took over the stage to represent everyday situations of racism and invited the audience to commit to the transformation of a system that propagates violence, deepens injustice and is based on exploitation. How to speak up against the racist, sexist and homophobic aggressions that black women suffer on a daily basis? The objective of the forum was to explore ways to navigate these situations, grow stronger and make alliances. Women of color experience double discrimination and exclusion based on race and gender, an experience that is often overseen or invalidated by many white women, as we could see in one of the characters in the play. The actresses were focused and at the same time warm and funny, making the public engage even more in the discussion.
After the play, the Anastácias stressed out the importance of Black Feminism and how the experience of sexism and racism cannot be separated. They talked about how, in the beginning of the feminist movement in Brazil, white women were fighting for their right to enter the workplace while their black grandmothers were being brought to the country in order to work.  The Ma(g)dalenas Berlin explained that it was not long ago that they started addressing the issues that were specific to black women, but that they believe that there is a necessity to give voice to those who suffer racism and sexism.


The last piece of the night was performed by a group of women from Guinea-Bissau, who sang traditional songs in their vernacular language that highlighted the value of women in society. While the performers played their traditional instruments, the public clapped their hands and sang along, the best way to finish the first day of the II International Ma(g)dalena Festival.