Discover Top Posts Tagged with #cure foundation

An interview with Sarajevo feminist, Vedrana Frasto

Women ask the government a variety of questions about their rights on International Women’s Day, 2015

CURE Foundacija is one of the most important feminist activist organizations in the Balkan region. I had the honor of interviewing Vedrana Frasto, an activist and feminist, about their work. These folks work hard! They publish, participate in street actions like the International Women’s Day which happened right as I arrived to Sarajevo, and produce the annual PitchWise festival, which by coincidence last year featured Like Other Girls Do star, TKV. I asked her about the critical issues facing Bosnian women, and what she’d like Western women to know about Bosnian feminism.

MP: What do you think are the really critical issues for women here in this region?

VF: We have a lot of critical issues. And it depends on which group you are in. Are you a double-discriminated woman? Marginalized? It depends. But usually the whole population of women are suffering with their gender roles. And that's the problem because we don't teach women to be strong and independent. Usually we are teaching them to be dependent on their partners. And to work, but not too much: not to earn more than her husband, her father, or male figure in her life.

Vedrana holds a sign: Why tolerate rape?

So that's just one of the problems. The second problem is when they try to find a job, usually they are asked about whether they are planning to have children. And the second question is like, we will talk about that over dinner. They are paid less for the same job than men. And also we have the problem, for example, in political life women need to play the traditional roles – good wife, good mother and then you can participate in the political scene, but you are not too visible, because if you are visible, you are a hysterical woman.

MP: In some ways I feel like you are talking about the United States. Perhaps we have it less acutely, but all the same politics you described.

VF: It’s really the same. Women are not visible in Bosnia-Herzegovina. And that is the problem.

MP: So, what groups would you consider double-marginalized here?

VF: Single mothers, women with disabilities, lesbians, bisexual and transsexual women, Roma women, young women – actually, every sector of women.

MP: Probably older women too.

VF: Older women. Single women. Sick women. Unemployed women. Women who survived violence. Women victims of the war.

MP: It’s a really interesting way to look at it, because I think it produces a lot of nuance to how we describe discrimination.

So CURE Foundacija does so many different, wonderful things – I got lucky to see the International Women’s Day you participated in.

VF: There weren’t too many people there, but we are trying to call young women – it’s really important for us that new generations participate.

This year, we stood in front of BBI, the shopping center and we needed to ask for permission from them. We need to work with the police, with the government in the local community. For two years we also marched during the International Day of Human Rights. And we decided that we would have few flags – LGBT flags – we spoke about all marginalized groups and there was lots of questioning about these flags because people were scared.

MP: Is there a pride march here?

VF: Never. No.

MP: I still find many of my educated friends in this region are homophobic. Even those that are not homophobic will not march. And this is something that is very complicated for me because I basically say to my friends, “You are either for freedom of speech in a civil society or you are not.” But there’s all this really weird rumor about the European Union "pushing the gay agenda. We don’t want the EU telling us how to do it.”

So what do you think is the role of art in your activism here at CURE and in general in the feminist movement?

VF: Actually we are using art as a tool to spread information in some interesting way. But in the Bosnian language I would say it a little bit different. We are trying to transform the culture of violence to the culture of peace through art. We are activists and we are trying to make space for artists to discuss gender roles, discrimination, and to promote feminism and activism. We are promoting the women artist in our society, so we are also organizing the PitchWise, the festival of women art and activism.

Vedrana holds one of the books on women in public life in English published by CURE, and I got a copy!

MP: When is that?

VF: Every September. This year we will the ten-year anniversary of PitchWise, the festival of women’s art. We are calling women artists and activists from Bosnia-Herzegovina and the region to represent their work. Two years ago we started to call the women from the whole world. So we called, for example, the activists from the east as well as from the west. So we are trying something new, as some ideas, and some things that are also taboo here in women’s world here as well.

We have big panels by activists from every part of the Balkan region. We are trying to include the new generation because we realize in Bosnia-Herzegovina there is a gap between the older and new generation.

I need to explain to you like the context here: many activists started during the war. The priority was finishing the war, and talking about women who survived different kinds of war-related violence and also building bridges between different sides. Then, the new generation came and they wanted something new, some like street harassment and internet bullying. The patriarchy is finding new ways to occupy space and have influence on women.

And then you find two different groups, but it’s not different, you just need space to collect them and then the magic is happening because they are sharing their experiences and it is really wonderful. And that’s PitchWise.

MP: That’s huge. No wonder you’re working all the time. Aren’t you?

VF: What we say: it’s our present to this society. We are working voluntarily. And it’s really satisfying for us.

MP: If you had one thing you’d really like western women to understand about Bosnian, what would it be?

Well, actually, it’s necessary to understand the context in which we are. It’s a different context from Serbia or Croatia. It’s different for me in the city, and another different context for women in the rural areas.

We do not have a lot of opportunity. We need support from the women in the west, and we also need to give support to them. So we need to collaborate. We have different needs, but also if we are doing together, it’s more visible. As a feminist, I need to act for like every woman in the world.

#CURE Foundacija #CURE Foundation #Sarajevo #feminism #Bosnian feminism #Vedrana Frasto #International Women's Day #PitchWise #melissa hilliard potter #mel potter #bosnia #interview

SUPER FIGHT Makes History Before Main Event: Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao weigh-in tickets to cost $10 each..

Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao - Getty Images

One of the most anticipated moments of any fight week is the weigh-in, especially in Las Vegas, where fans often jam the MGM Grand Garden Arena to cheer, chant and get a look at the boxers in one more faceoff the day before they fight.

In recent years, weigh-ins for fights involving Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have been nearly as electric as…

View On WordPress

#Brad Jacobs #Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center #Cure foundation #ESPN #Floyd #Floyd Mayweather #Jide Salu #Manny #Manny Pacquiao #Mayweather #MGM Grand Garden Arena #Pacquiao #SUPER FIGHT Makes History Before Main Event: Floyd Mayweather Manny Pacquiao weigh-in tickets to cost $10 each..#Susan G. Komen #Top Rank #Top Rank CEO Bob Arum

National Denim Day 2014

The Cure Foundation presents National Denim Day on the first Tuesday after Mothers Day each year. This year Tuesday May 14th is the day that we wear Jeans for the cure. I’ll be sporting my skinny jeans with a pink blouse and heels at the office tomorrow how about you?

Be sure to check yourself monthly, to help download a chart or grab a booklet for Free from the Awareness Material section of…