NEW YORK – A group of young activists from the “Feminist Collages New York” collective has set out to make New Yorkers aware of sexist violence and the “oppression of patriarchy,” with “ephemeral” slogans stuck with the complicity of the night in visible places. and emblematic of the city, so that they last longer than the shouts of a protest.
They choose for their action Fifth Avenue, the exit of a busy subway or, on Sunday night, the merry-go-round in the Dumbo neighborhood, from where you can enjoy one of the most sought-after views by tourists, that of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. and the city skyline.
“Against patriarchy, feminism responds internationally”, “What is the Government doing against femicides? And” 50% of the restraining orders obtained by women against their abusive partners are disobeyed “were the three messages that a dozen of activists, including two men, queued up last night in this neighborhood of the borough of Brooklyn.
Papers, ink and many liters of glue are the weapon of this small group of young people who, for the moment, assure that they print their messages in places where they know that there will be no problems with the authorities, such as panels that temporarily cover buildings under construction or some public areas.
A total of 50 women have participated since the establishment of the group in April of this year, but there are about 15 who maintain the activity and promote new actions or slogans, most of them written in English, although some also in Spanish.
Chowi, a New Yorker of Peruvian origin who recently joined the group after casually reading a message that made reference to a rape in Peru, is one of the young women who has come out tonight to chisel, paper on stone, their claiming slogans.
“The collage caught my attention and I contacted the group to work with them,” Chowi explains to Efe, hooded before recounting that she has been an activist for years participating in different movements, from the “Occupy Wall Street” protests of 2011, to the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement.
A MESSAGE THAT LASTS LONGER THAN A SHOUT
For Chowi, working with this group gives her an artistic side of activism that other activities don’t, and she confesses that she likes the idea of the message lasting after the protest has ended.
“I liked the idea of leaving a message behind after being on the street. There is more time than a scream,” he says.
But he is also aware of how ephemeral his actions are, that they barely remain in print for a few days, before being withdrawn or drowned out by advertising or all kinds of event announcements.
“Beauty is in that too, everything is temporary, especially in a city like New York where everything changes the next day, this grows with the city,” he concludes.
COMPLAINTS IN SPANISH
In addition to English, the group has used Spanish, the second most widely spoken language in the city, on some of its posters, and Chowi hopes that with his participation in the group they will stick even more, especially in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
“There is a large Latino population, so talking about sexism and machismo in Spanish is very important so that it reaches all the people,” he emphasizes.
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Julia, one of the members of “Feminist Collages New York”, assures Efe that the group is part of the “Collages Féministes” movement that began in Paris in August 2019 and has spread to several countries.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is celebrated this Thursday, several of these groups plan to publish photographs of slogans inscribed in emblematic places of the cities where they operate.
For this reason, they chose for Sunday night the stairs that give access to the emblematic Jane’s Carousel, in Dumbo, to leave the imprint of their protest messages. So that the message could be identified with an iconic image of New York.
“This is an issue that affects everyone, in all parts of the world and any type of awareness can help to form a political narrative,” says Julia, an Italian national, who has already participated in a similar action in Italy with her sister group. from New York.
But for her, participating in this activity is also “a curative treatment”, because, as she confesses, in her past she suffered abuse and sexist violence.
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