February 14th is about more than flowers and chocolates | Margaret Perry
One Billion Rising is a global movement that aims to promote awareness of the violent crimes still being committed against women worldwide. According to UN campaign UNITE to End Violence Against Women, one in three women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime. One Billion Rising asks that women and supporters of women everywhere “rise” on February 14th in a show of protest, solidarity and strength. The campaign website advocates striking for the day or part of the day – “activists around the world will stop what they normally do, walk out, strike and dance.” Dancing, flash mobs, concerts, readings or other performance events are also suggested as ways to “rise” on the day. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and understanding of violence against women as a very real and current problem that cannot be ignored or sidelined. Playwright Eve Ensler’s landmark play The Vagina Monologues led to the establishment of V-Day on Valentine’s Day in 1998 in the belief that “art has the power to reach, transform and inspire people to act.” Since then, V- Day, with its motto “Until the Violence Stops”, has grown into a global activist movement that empowers women, and the men who support them, to raise awareness and funds for organisations that work to end violence against women. On February 14th, The Vagina Monologues can be performedwithout paying performance rights, and the funds raised from the performance are donated to the V-Day campaign. To mark V-Day and the One Billion Rising campaign, local feminist group Cork Feminista will be screening Until The Violence Stops, a film documenting how The Vagina Monologues grew into an international grassroots movement to prevent violence against women. The screening will be held in the Crawford College of Art and Design at 7pm on the 14th and will be followed by a One Billion Rising dance celebration. Also exploring women’s issues close to home is a new performance piece called Twelve a Day, whichwill be shown in the Triskel on Friday 15th at 6pm. Developed by UCC faculty, students and alumni among others, Twelve a Day is a testimonial theatre piece exploring Irish women’s experiences of travelling abroad for abortions. V-Day has so far raised 90 million dollars for local anti-violence organisations all over the world and empowered millions of people to work to “change the story of women”. This year, along with the One Billion Rising campaign, looks set to be no exception.
