AFRO-NETS> V-Day Meeting

• Subject: AFRO-NETS> V-Day Meeting
• From: Janet Feldman <kaippg@earthlink.net>
• Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 17:18:11 -0500 (EST)

V-Day Meeting
-------------

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings from the African Women's Development and Communication Net-
work (FEMNET). Ms. Mumbi Kaigwa, V-Day World-wide Campaign Organiser in
Nairobi had requested FEMNET to invite you to get involved and partici-
pate in the V-Day World-wide Campaign in Kenya.

Mumbi Kaigwa hopes to stage the performance "The Vagina Monologues" on
the 23rd of March 2003. The author of the Monologues, Eve Ensler, will
be visiting Nairobi from 20-24 March 2003 and the first Kenyan V-Day
Campaign in Nairobi would be organised to coincide with her visit.

Please find attached information on the V-Day campaign and a letter
from Mumbi below.

We held a tentative meeting on December 11, 2003 where we discussed
among others fundraising for co-ordination of the performance. If you
or your organisation would like to get involved kindly inform FEMNET.
We look forward to hearing from you

Thank you and kind regards

Alice Munyua
Programme Officer, Communication
African Women's Development and Communications Network (FEMNET)
Réseau de Développement et de Communications des Femmes Africaines
P.O.Box 54562
Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel: +254-2-374-1301/20
Fax: +254-2-374-2927
mailto:femnet@africaonline.co.ke
http://www.femnet.or.ke

FEMNET aims to strengthen the role and contribution of African NGO's
focussing on women's development equality and other human rights,
through communications, networking, training and advocacy.

FEMNET vise à renforcer le rôle et la contribution des ONG des femmes
africaines en mettant l'accent sur le développemnt, l'égalité et
d'autres droits humains de femmes par le moyen des communications, tra-
vail de réseau, formation et plaidoyer.


--
I am writing to seek the assistance of FEMNET in hosting and inviting
as many organisations and individuals (male and female) as possible to
an initial first meeting to discuss V-Day and the Worldwide Cam-paign.
A suitable date 11 December 2002 has been identified.

It is hoped to stage the performance and complementing events towards
the end of March 2003. Eve Ensler, the author of The Vagina Mono-
logues, will be visiting Nairobi from 20-24 March 2003. It is my hope
that the first V-Day Campaign in Nairobi would coincide with her visit
i.e. the weekend of 21-23 March, with a series of complementary activi-
ties taking place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In this way the
weekend would be used to further raise public awareness to the issues
surrounding the subject of violence and the work of the anti-violence
movement in Kenya and culminate with the performance of "The Vagina
Monologues" on the night of Sunday 23 March.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Mumbi Kaigwa
V-Day Worldwide Campaign Organiser - Nairobi, 2003
P O Box 63590-00619
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254-2-582-337 / 581-458
Cell:+254-722-741-702
mailto:theatreco@africaonline.co.ke


--
What is V-Day?

V-Day Mission
* V-Day is an organized response against violence towards women.
* V-Day is a vision: We see a world where women live safely and freely.
* V-Day is a demand: Rape, battery, incest, genital mutilation and
sexual slavery must end now.
* V-Day is a spirit: We believe women should spend their lives creating
and thriving rather than surviving or recovering from terrible
atrocities.
* V-Day is a catalyst: By raising money and consciousness, it will
unify and strengthen existing anti-violence efforts. Triggering far-
reaching awareness, it will lay the groundwork for new educational,
protective, and legislative endeavors throughout the world.
* V-Day is a process: We will work as long as it takes. We will not
stop until the violence stops.
* V-Day is a day. We proclaim Valentine's Day as V- Day, to celebrate
women and end the violence.
* V-Day is a fierce, wild, unstoppable movement and community.

About V-Day

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-
Day is a palpable energy, a fierce catalyst that promotes creative
events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of
existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention
for the fight to stop worldwide violence against women and girls in-
cluding rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM), and
sexual slavery. V-Day provides funding to create and nurture innovative
programs to stop the violence.

Through V-Day campaigns, local volunteers and college students produce
annual benefit performances of "The Vagina Monologues" to raise aware-
ness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities.
V-Day itself stages large-scale benefits and promotes innovative gath-
erings and programs (The Afghan Women's Summit, The Stop Rape Contest,
Indian Country Project, and more) to change social attitudes about vio-
lence against women. In 2002, more than 800 V-Day benefit events were
presented by local volunteer activists around the world, educating mil-
lions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls.

The V-Day movement is growing at a rapid pace throughout the world. V-
Day, a non-profit corporation, distributes funds to grassroots, na-
tional, and international organizations and programs that work to stop
violence against women and girls. V-Day was named one of Worth Maga-
zine's "100 Best Charities" in 2001. In its first five years, the V-Day
movement has raised over $14 million, with over $7 million raised in
2002 alone.

The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.

Letter from Eve Ensler
V-Day Founder and Artistic Director and author of ?The Vagina Mono-
logues?

FROM V-DAY TO V-WORLD

In 2002, V-Day happened in 800 venues around the world. Celebrations
were held in an Anglican Church in Nova Scotia, a Maasai village in
Kenya, a Lakota reservation in South Dakota, a stadium in Manila, a
synagogue in Great Britain.

There were sold out performances at Caesar's Palace in South Africa,
The National Theater in Guatemala, The Royal Albert Hall in London, the
Folies Bergeres in Paris, and the Apollo Theater in Harlem. At 515
schools from Harvard University in the United States to the HELP Insti-
tute in Selangor, Malaysia, from the University of the Philippines in
Manila to the London School of Economics, thousands of college students
reclaimed their power and worked to protect and honor vaginas. Through
our 2002 College Campaign alone, nearly 7.5 million people were exposed
to V-Day and our mission to stop worldwide violence against women and
girls. Through College and Worldwide Campaign efforts and other V-Day
initiatives and actions, Roma women in Macedonia vowed to reverse an-
cient and heinous marriage practices that abuse women, girls were saved
from female genital mutilation and allowed to be educated in Kenya,
Harlem was declared Vagina Friendly by the State Senator, San Francisco
was pronounced a Rape Free Zone by the City Council. Red balloons, red
rose petals, red banners, red gowns, red boas filled the stages and
halls.

A WORLDWIDE VAGINA REVOLUTION WAS BORN

We know already that in 2003 V-Day will spread to thousands more ven-
ues and cultures around the world. As V-Day benefit performances of
?The Vagina Monologues? reach more people, as the V-energy spreads,
2003 must be the year when we envision a new world, where violence has
ended and V-World is finally born.

Here's what V-World will look like:

When the violence stops, women and girls will be
allowed to be born in china, india and korea
swimming in iran
safe in their beds at home in the united states, europe and asia
eating ice cream in afghanistan
keeping their clitorises in africa and asia
wearing blue jeans in italy
voting in kuwait
walking in the park at night in the united states
openly flirting in jordan
safe at parties on college campuses
playing with toys and not being sold as them in asia, the united
states, europe and
eastern europe
driving cars in saudi arabia
wearing trousers in swaziland
safely walking home from work in juarez, mexico
enjoying sex
celebrating their desires
loving their bodies
running the world.

We urge you to expand this list and put your power behind the vision.


V-Day Calls to Action

1% Campaign

Women, like the earth, are the world?s most vital resource. They give
birth. They feed. They provide shelter. They educate. They keep commu-
nities and economies intact. They hold a vision of the future. They are
52% of the population. The security of women will guarantee the secu-
rity of the world. Yet, in America and around the world, 1 in 3 women
have been or will be a victim of violence, whether it is rape, assault,
domestic abuse, incest, female genital mutilation or trafficking.

This violence does not discriminate - it affects women young and old,
rich and poor, educated and illiterate, living in cities, suburbs, town
and villages. Women are not safe in their homes. They are not safe in
their neighborhoods. They are not safe on the world?s streets. Why are
we not securing our most vital resource?

We fight other wars with powerful weapons and enormous resources. They
are fought by land, from sea and air, on multiple fronts. They are
waged with joint forces, unified combatant commands, smart bombs and
targeted missiles. It is an industry so large, there are Reserves. The
United States President?s 2003 Department of Defense budget proposal to
fight the war against terrorism and provide for homeland defense calls
for a total of $379 billion, while his proposal to fight the war
against the terrorism of women calls for $350 million.

Meanwhile, the everyday war against women invisibly rages on.

Look at Afghanistan. For seven years the world turned its back on the
heinous treatment of women. That led to devastating consequences, not
just for the women there, but for the entire world. What we have
learned from this is that women must be safe for the world to be se-
cure.

That is why we are demanding 1% of the US Department of Defense budget
to be directed toward the security of women. We do not want to build
more shelters or staff more crisis centers to contain, manage or harbor
violence. Instead, with just 1%, we will create a new consciousness,
new systems, programs and ideas, to end the violence against women and
girls. If the primary responsibilities of government are to protect its
nation and invest tax dollars wisely, this is the best investment to
begin to secure all of our futures. We are asking women and men around
the world to ask their government to give up only 1% of the defense
budget to defend women's lives. Give women 1%.

Let V-Day Become V-World: V-World Envisioning Groups

The V-Day 2003 theme is ?From V-Day to V-World: Envisioning a World
Without Violence.? You can promote this theme and simultaneously help
people to embrace it and see its promise by hosting V-World envisioning
groups in your community. Invite everyone women and men and facili-
tate discussions and activities around the theme. These groups are not
the place to focus on the problem of violence against women and girls;
they?re the place to imagine a world without violence.

Also, there are two new monologues that you are invited and encouraged
to create this year using the V- Day 2003 theme, which might very well
come out of these groups. Ask to see the ?Monologue-Specific Guide-
lines? section of the V-Day Organiser?s Kit for more details on these
new monologues.


Rape-Free Zone Campaign
V-Day is encouraging people all over the world to mark their communi-
ties as ?Rape-Free Zones.? At V-Day 2001 at Madison Square Garden in
New York City, pieces of ?Rape-Free Zone? red tape were distributed to
every one of the 18,000 audience members. They were asked to tie the
tape around things in their communities to mark their communities as
?Rape-Free Zones.?

?Rape-Free Zone? tape is inexpensive to produce, so you can have it
made locally yourself for distribution at your event, or you can buy it
at the V-Day Campaigns online store at http://www.promoshop.com/vday/

Another approach is to work with your local city councilors or school
officials to have your community or campus officially declared a ?Rape-
Free Zone.? Several past V-Day organizers have succeeded in securing
such proclamations and they have proven to be powerful affirmations of
community support.

You are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to incorporate the ?Rape-Free Zone? Cam-
paign into your V-Day Campaign event.

For an up-to-date list of all V-Day actions and events, please visit
the V-Day web site at http://www.vday.org


New Initiatives

Africa, the Near East and Asia

We are proud to announce that, as part of the 2003 V-World vision, V-
Day has launched a new initiative to end violence against women and
girls in Africa, the Near East and parts of Asia. It is spearheaded by
newly-appointed V-Day Special Representative Hibaaq Osman, Associate
Barbara Wien, and fellow Nkem Onwuamaegbu.

This new V-Day initiative in the Muslim world has been created during a
time of great uncertainty and turmoil in these regions, and is commit-
ted to building broad political and social movements for women?s rights
on three levels: national, regional and international. The V-Day team
is currently working in partnership with diverse women's networks in
Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Pakistan, India, Kenya and Afghani-
stan to strengthen and support their common agenda of ending violence
against women and girls - to end bride burnings, female genital mutila-
tion (FGM), honor killings, sexual assault, rape and many other forms
of gender-based violence. The team collaborates only with those organi-
zations that have a commitment to working across ethnic, religious, and
class lines.

Key coalition-building efforts have already begun. V-Day participated
in the "Afghan Women's Summit for Democracy" (held in Brussels December
2001), as one of the main sponsors and donors. As a follow-up to the
Brussels Summit, Hibaaq traveled with Eve Ensler to Afghanistan in
March 2002 to participate in International Women?s Day in Kabul, which
was being celebrated for the first time in five years. At this time V-
Day sponsored a series of roundtable talks in Afghanistan and Pakistan,
for which it brought more than 100 Afghan women, including the Brussels
participants, together to listen to their feedback and to encourage
strategic alliances among the women's groups. At the Brussels summit,
the women's groups cited numerous times that a lack of communication
was the major obstacle preventing them from effectively working to-
gether on a common agenda. To help solve this problem, V-Day provided
over 16 satellite telephones to women's groups, including the Afghan
Women's Ministry, to build better communication and develop a network
among the groups.

In 2002, Hibaaq also traveled to Kenya with Eve to attend the opening
of the first V-Day Safe House - a safe haven for young girls seeking
refuge from FGM; to Sri Lanka to speak at the International Conference
on ?The Role of Women in Peace Building and Constitution Making?; and
to Uganda to explore trends and future challenges of women?s rights in
Africa, identify key areas of concern and to formulate recommendations.

On the national level, the team will convene a diverse, strategic core
group of women and women?s organizations within each country to become
the ?Friends of V-Day.? The aim of the groups will be to define vio-
lence in their cultural context, identify the specific types of vio-
lence happening in their communities, and prioritize one campaign and
one strategy to stop violence against women and girls in their country
using the substantial income raised from V-Day events. Through this in-
clusive, broadbased, participatory approach, the expressed needs of
local partners will lead and focus V-Day?s work. The ?Friends of V-Day?
will work together as a coalition, cross-fertilizing ideas and experi-
ences and supporting key campaigns to have maximum impact.

Taking the work to a second level, ?Friends of V-Day? networks will
also forge strategic alliances across borders on a regional basis to
stop honor killings, bride burnings, FGM and other life-threatening is-
sues for women, and help end the isolation that may be felt in individ-
ual countries. An annual regional meeting will be held to compare ex-
periences, evaluate campaigns and develop future strategies.

We will urge our country partners to work through their bureaucracies,
militaries, parliaments, women politicians and other avenues to adopt
our new international 1% campaign. This multilateral, multinational
campaign demands that countries direct 1% of their military budgets to
the defense and security of women, the most vulnerable civilian popula-
tion.

We are honored to have Hibaaq Osman on board with V-Day. Born in Soma-
lia, Hibaaq has been involved in women?s rights issues in Africa for
over 15 years. Building on existing cultural and political beliefs in
various Third World countries, she has collaborated with religious
leaders, scholars, women?s rights activists, governmental organiza-
tions, research institutes and universities to bring women?s rights is-
sues to international attention. She has helped to launch women's net-
works and establish women?s rights organizations, most recently SIHA
(Strategic Initiatives for the Horn of Africa). Hibaaq is a Senior Fel-
low of the Academy for Political Leadership and Participation at the
University of Maryland.

Complementing Activities

There are numerous activities that you can do in conjunction with your
benefit production of ?The Vagina Monologues,? activities that lead up
to your production and/or that happen on the same day.

Previous College and Worldwide Campaign participants came up with lots
of fabulous ideas for such complementing activities. What follows are
some examples of what has been done or can be done. Feel free to incor-
porate any of them into your production. Or use none and come up with
new idea of your own. Don?t forget to keep memorabilia to send us from
anything that you do so that V-Day can share it with others in future
years photos, programs, T-shirts, posters, advertisements, etc.

Tip: Volunteers are an important part of your production and comple-
menting activities. Try to assemble a group that can meet regularly to
do mailings, create decorations, copy fliers, put up posters, usher at
the production, sell products, etc. Sometimes a volunteer might not
have an enormous amount of time to give but would still like to be in-
volved, so give her a specific project.

Everyone wants to be a part of V-Day so include as many people as you
can!

* V-World Discussion Groups - These groups are not only a wonderful way
to get people thinking about a world without violence, but they are
also a terrific place to generate enthusiasm about your V-Day produc-
tion. Discussion groups can be the beginning of your community?s V-Day
journey and your production can be its culmination. See the ?Special
Events? section of this Kit for more details.

* Rape-Free Zone Campaign - Work with your cast and Production Team to
find imaginative and innovative ways to make your community a Rape-Free
Zone.

* Take Back the Night - Organize a rally or march inviting people to
show their commitment to making your community safe for women and
girls. You could combine this with a Rape-Free Zone Campaign.

* Art shows and Auctions - Invite local artists to create a piece in
the medium of their choice that is a positive expression of what the V-
Day movement means to them. Have a gallery in town host an exhibition
of the artwork that is created and then auction off the pieces.

* Bake Sales - Not the ones your mom did! Have a "Vagina-friendly" bake
sale with vagina-themed cookies, cakes, candy and chocolate.

* Vulva puppet-making workshop - People love those vulva puppets. For
some creative ideas, you can go to
http://www.yoni.com/loverf/vulvaintro.shtml.

* Halloween party/fundraiser - A benefit party with the theme: "If your
vagina got dressed, what would it wear?" and for men, "If you had a va-
gina, what would it wear?"

* Donation Drop Box Drive - Ask a local cardboard box manufacturer to
donate large, sturdy boxes to you. Have your volunteers decorate them.
Ask your beneficiaries for a wish list of items they need (diapers,
food, vitamins, clothing, toiletries, etc). Attach the wish lists to
the boxes and place the boxes in businesses, houses of worship, yoga
studios and other venues in your community for the entire month of Feb-
ruary. You can also place the boxes at your ticket sales locations.
When patrons purchase tickets to your production, ask them to sign a
log sheet agreeing to bring at least one item to the performance along
with their ticket. Have donation boxes on site at the theater to col-
lect the donations.

* Valentine's Day V-Gift - Encourage people in your community to pur-
chase and send Valentine?s cards, flowers or gifts to the women and
girls in local shelters. Ask a local flower shop to donate one dollar
to your beneficiaries for every order and delivery on Valentine's Day
(or select a different holiday if Valentine?s Day is not a holiday
where you live).

* Workshops - Develop health/sexuality/body image workshops, present
lectures and/or provide information tables. Offer a self-defense class
as a fundraiser. You could do one new workshop each month leading up to
your event. This is a great area in which to take advantage of your
beneficiaries? expertise.

* Book Club - Have a party/fundraiser featuring women-oriented books
such as Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" and "Necessary Targets,"
?Woman: An Intimate Geography? (Natalie Angier), ?Manifesta: Young
Women, Feminism, and the Future? (by Jennifer Baumgardner, Amy Rich-
ards), ?Cunt: A Declaration of Independence? (inga muscio), "Sexing the
Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality" (Anne Fausto-
Sterling) and "Clit Notes: A Sapphic Sampler? (Holly Hughes), among
others; collaborate with your college or local bookstore.

* Vagina Carnival - At one school, this event included a goddesses
booth, a decorate your vagina booth, a silent auction, a stomp out op-
pression booth, a most creative baked goods booth, an info booth, and a
discussion circle.

* Concerts - Organize a benefit concert. Brown University brought Tracy
Chapman to its campus several years ago and Drew University brought The
Indigo Girls to its campus last year in conjunction with their College
Campaign events. This activity can take a lot of time, energy and money
to carry out so make sure you have lots of help if you decide to do
this.

* Creative tickets - Offer ticket-buyers "Vagina Friendly" pins instead
of paper tickets for your production.

* Cast retreat - Provide an opportunity for your actresses to get to
know and bond with each other off stage. Have an afternoon or overnight
retreat somewhere beautiful, peaceful and private.


Inspiration

The battle to stop the violence is a critical and often challenging
one. It is, therefore, expected that you will have moments from time to
time when you will feel overwhelmed or lose your motivation. Don?t
worry; that happens to all of us who are fighting the battle. When we
need inspiration, we think about all of the women and girls who, over
the years, have told us the stories of their suffering or whose stories
we have heard, and we are re-energized because we are compelled to be.
When we need inspiration, we think about all of the organizations and
programs worldwide that have been able to continue and expand their
work to stop violence against women and girls because of grants from V-
Day. (To see the current list of V-Day beneficiaries, please visit the
?Award Recipients? section of the V-Day web site at
http://www.vday.org/awards.) When we need inspiration, we read the let-
ters that women and girls have sent us and Eve from all over the world
thanking us for V-Day and thanking Eve for the gift of ?The Vagina
Monologues.? There are too many letters to share with you here, but we
have selected two items that we think will move you whether you read
them today, tomorrow, in a year, or every day. You may, at times, need
inspiration but please know that you are always ours.


Dear Friends,

We are really very happy to let you know that Saturday 6 April 2002 was
a remarkable day because of the success of the performance of ?The Va-
gina Monologues? in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo.

For the first time in the history of Congolese women, this day was the
happiest day in our lives.

Despite some intimidation from the local authorities, wind, storms and
torrential rain, police insistence that we cancel the performance, we
finally made our dream come true. Yes, a dream became a reality.

Who among the girls and women of Lubumbashi could believe that one day
?The Vagina Monologues? could be shown in Lubumbashi by women, them-
selves speaking of their body parts? It was taboo.

Assisted by a church choir, the hall, which normally holds 150 people,
on the 6th April 2002 was filled with 432 people, young girls and boys,
men and women who had come from various townships in Lubumbashi. Others
were not fortunate enough to gain entry to the hall because of the lack
of space. Outside there were 210 people, not counting those who, unable
to find a place in the hall, had left, with great regret, unable to at-
tend this important performance.

This morning, as I write this report, I have just received from the
Mayor's Office a summons to appear there on Wednesday 10 April at 9:30
am (local time). I will keep you informed of the results of this sum-
mons.

Throngs of people came to see the performance, firstly because it is
the first time a demonstration of this nature has been organized in
Congo/Zaire and particularly in Lubumbashi and also because entry was
free. As the Government objected to the organization of this demonstra-
tion and also as it is the first time that such an important demonstra-
tion has taken place, we decided that entry must be free for everyone.

We experienced a unique event for the first time and we are confident
?The Vagina Monologues? 2003 will be even better than this year's event
and that the "Centre for Hope for Girls and Women" will make the dif-
ference.
Irene
Director, Centre for Girls and Women
Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

Irene was subsequently ARRESTED, as was the group of protestors that
had rushed to support her. With the help of Equality Now, V-Day hired a
lawyer for Irene and the protestors. We are thrilled to report that the
protestors were freed and the mayor had to pay the protestors? damages.
Irene?s case was heard separately and she was equally victorious. Her
inspirational letter follows:

Dear friends,

In the name of my organization and in my personal name I must to thank
all of you for your support and commitment on my case who started since
6 April, 2002 and now is ends. Because of your support, I believe many
things will change on behalf of girls and women whom will discover
their rights and liberty. Their freedom will be a fruit of your sup-
port.

When arrived at court, we found a mob of people who came to hear for
the final sentence. The mob was estimated to be more than 3000 girls,
women and men as well. But the majority were the girls.

One of the girls said, we are here not hear the sentence but we are
here to learn our rights and freedom as long as we are concerned and we
must take this opportunity to show that we support our fellow girls and
women since they are supported abroad. The mayor has surprised even his
lawyer while the magistrate asked him if he have any comment on all
happened since 09 April. The answer from the mayor was: I am not only
asking apologize to Madam Irene, her team and to the court, but my ex-
cuse goes to all Congolese women and to all women on this earth, he
said.

For arbitrary [arrest] he must pay the penalty to the court the equiva-
lence of $617 (six hundred seventeen US dollars) within 15 days and
must to pay me before the court the amount of $213 ($63 on 1 August,
$50 on 2 September, $50 on 1 October and $50 on 1 November 2002).

Without this he must to be jailed for six months.

After that, my lawyer expressed his anxious to see ?The Vagina Mono-
logues? to be held in Lubumbashi the next [time]. After consultation,
the court has agreed but the court said two weeks before the perform-
ance, Madam Ndaya must pass at the secretary court to inform the judi-
cial authorities and if possible to invite one of them at ?The Vagina
Monologues? practice and to be given an authorization letter for the
first time. It will be after that, ?The Vagina Monologues? will [be]
performed without any other authorization. Because that letter will be
unique letter saying that the court has agreed and authorization of
The Vagina Monologues, not only in Lubumbashi but in The Democratic
Republic of Congo as a whole.

Some useful contact addresses:

Cecile Lipworth
Director, Worldwide Campaign

Honey Harris
Administrative Assistant, Worldwide Campaign
Tel: +1-505-983-0887
Fax: +1-425-675-0990
mailto:world@vday.org
http://www.vday.org/world