V okviru koordinacije za teritorij Slovenije, ki je del Balkanske rute, smo se nekatere želele organizirati za pripravo srečanja z zapatistkami na temo feminizma. V ta namen smo v mesecih predpriprav razpravljale o različnih temah in pristopih boja pri nas, se srečevale s starejšimi generacijami feministk, ki so te boje bile že pred nami, brale tekste na temo zatiranja na podlagi spola znotraj zapatističnih skupnosti ter iskale vzvode, ki bi krepili sestrsko zaupanje in medsebojno podporo med nami.
Ob končni potrditvi obiska tovarišic iz Chiapasa smo naše srečanje v okviru feminističnega stebra strnile na pogovorno dopoldne v dveh sklopih: (1) Položaj žensk, delitev dela in feminizem znotraj širšega gibanja; in (2) Telo, reprodukcija in nasilje. Naša želja je bila, da bi srečanje potekalo čim bolj sproščeno in v obliki dinamičnih izmenjav izkušenj in analiz, kar je delno tudi uspelo. Zagotovo pa je bil čas, ki smo ga preživele skupaj prekratek, da bi s tovarišicami iz Chiapasa zares lahko zgradile medsebojno zaupanje in varen sestrski prostor za sproščene izmenjave osebnih zgodb. Eden od razlogov, da je zmanjkalo časa je bil, da so ponovno pripovedovale 3 točke, ki smo jih slišale že prejšnji večer na igrišču.
Povedale so nam, da jim skupnost zagotavlja enakovreden položaj v skupnosti, da so vključene v vse boje. To so vzpostavile tudi skozi ženske revolucionarne zakone, ki so del zapatizma od samega začetka njihove vstaje. Hkrati pa so poudarile, da je še vedno veliko dela z osveščanjem oz. izobraževanjem vseh članic_ov skupnosti glede enakosti ne glede na spol. Glavno gonilo ostaja skupen boj - boj proti kapitalizmu. V tem kontekstu vidijo boj proti patriarhatu kot del tega boja, ki ga morajo prav tako biti vsi skupaj. Zato o problemih patriarhata osveščajo vse, ob tem pa se za politične pogovore občasno ženske srečujejo tudi ločeno. Lezbijke, geji in trans osebe so sprejete v skupnosti, v kolikor se pridružujejo skupnemu zapatističnemu boju.
V našem kontekstu smo zaznale problem razdrobljenosti naših bojev in manko pripoznanja širšega boja proti patriarhalnemu sistemu kot dela antikapitalističnega boja.
Z namenom predstavitve konteksta, iz katerega govorimo o bojih proti zatiranju na podlagi spola pri nas, je tovarišica pripravila kratek pregled bojev žensk od AFŽ dalje, do položaja žensk v socializmu, bojev v osemdesetih, ko se je v javnosti začelo odpirati vprašanje domačega nasilja, do okupacije AKC Metelkove v devetdesetih, ki je postala izredno pomembna baza za organizacijo feministk (Ženski center, Rdeče zore) in LGBT ter okupacije Roga, od koder so izšle druge feministične iniciative, kot so Skupina za vključevanje žensk v skupnost, Afkors, No border craft, Z'borke itd. Druga tovarišica je spregovorila o obstoju feminizma v hardcore punk sceni in zaskvotani Cukrarni, kjer so imele women only prostor.
V drugem sklopu so nam tovarišice iz Chiapasa predale zgodbo boja svojih babic, ki so trpele grozljive spolne zlorabe s strani lastnikov veleposesti, na katerih so bile primorane delati. Spregovorile so o posilstvu, ne le kot o orodju za kaznovanje posameznic ali nadvlade veleposestnikov, temveč tudi kot orodje za kaznovanje celotne staroselske skupnosti. Z namenom discipliniranja upornih ali nepokornih posameznikov ali skupine so posestniki izvajali javna posilstva njihovih prijateljic, sester, mater, žen in nosečnic. Povedale so nam, da so v samem začetku podtalnega organiziranja tudi moški iz njihovih skupnosti prevzeli nekatere vzorce o manjvrednosti žensk, a skozi čas so ugotovili, da so le te nepogrešljive in da si zaradi vseh zlorab želijo upora in osvoboditve. Pri vprašanju nasilja v domačem okolju danes, so nam obrazložile, da ima vsaka lokalna dobra vlada, vsaj eno žensko članico, ki je tudi zaupnica za druge članice skupnosti. Zaupnica v primeru nasilja poskrbi, da se ustrezno ukrepa in kaznuje nasilneža. Prisotnost mačizma v skupnosti ostaja problem, s katerim se morajo spopadati, tako da osveščajo moške in tudi ženske, da takega vedenja ne smejo dopuščati - torej dolžnost boja proti patriarhatu je na vseh članih skupnosti.
V popoldanskem času smo se iz YHDja prestavile na sončno igrišče AKC Metelkove, kjer smo druženje nadaljevale v sproščenem vzdušju iger z žogami, risanjem in pisanjem. Tovarišica je prinesla nekaj nabranih posušenih zeliščnih rastlin, za kar so zapatistke pokazale veliko zanimanja. Pogovor je stekel o zeliščih, ki lajšajo različne bolečine.
Vprašale smo se, kakšne podobe nas krepijo z željo po kreaciji skupnega murala, ki bi lahko našim sestram iz drugega konca sveta ostal v spominu na naše srečanje, nam pa tudi kot vizualni opomnik o skupni poti v boju proti patriarhatu in kapitalizmu. Skupaj smo si zamislile veliko podob iz narave, personificirane luno in sadeže, naravo kot simbol moči preraščanja in pa stik žensk iz različnih okolij, ki skupaj sejejo semena prihodnosti.
Medtem je nepričakovano prišla še ena odprava, v kateri so bile tri staroselke, ki niso bile zapatistke temveč članice Staroselskega kongresa, ki vključuje delegate_ke 73 različnih staroselskih ljudstev. Obrazložile so, da izvajajo izobraževanja za ženske in moške glede enakovrednosti med spoloma. In da opažajo, da so nekateri moški pripravljeni prisluhniti, če vidijo v tem tudi lastne koristi. Poudarile so, da jih navdihuje zapatistični boj in podale mnenje, da bi si želele tudi v svojih skupnostih vnesti pravilo o odsotnosti alkohola, saj slednjega vidijo kot enega od vzrokov nasilja. Spregovorile so o femicidih in izginotju žensk na staroselskih področjih megaprojektov, to je, kjer se gradijo hidro elektrarne, termo elektrane idr., ki jih financira tudi Evropa. Uporne skupnosti, ki se temu upirajo, se disciplinira tako, da ta področja postanejo zelo nevarna, dogajajo se umori in izginotja staroselk.
Kljub temu, da nas je bilo v feminističnem stebru malo, so staroselke končale s spodbudnimi besedami, da iz malega zraste veliko in da je treba nadaljevati boj.
V naslednjih dneh, ko so se naše tovarišice udeležile programa drugih stebrov, smo pripravile steno in zamišljene ideje prenesle na zid. Po njihovem povratku v Ljubljano smo skupaj dokončale mural in ga otvorile z bogatim kulturnim programom. Natopile so FPZ Z'borke, Janez Blond, solo E, žonglerji nekdanje Cirkusarne AT Rog, večer pa sta zaključili z ognjem v srcu in v rokah P in Z.
Bogastvo, ki so ga prinesle_i zapatistke_i v svojih zgodbah, nas je navdahnil za nadaljevanje tega izredno težkega in zahtevnega boja proti kapitalističnemu opustošenju Zemlje in naših življenj. Hkrati pa so nas njihove pripovedi navdale z mnogimi vprašanji, katerih odgovore bomo morale_i poiskati med nami samimi.
**Pogovor z dvema tovarišicama o izkušnji feminističnega stebra v oddaji [Črna luknja](https://radiostudent.si/dru%C5%BEba/%C4%8Drna-luknja) na Radiu Študent, 4. november 2021**
## FEMINIST PILLAR: An Encounter Of Women In Struggle
As part of the Coordination for the territory of Slovenia, which is part of the Proposal for the Balkan Route, some of us wanted to organize a meeting with Zapatistas on the topic of feminism. To this end, during the months of preparations, we discussed various topics and approaches to the struggle in our country, met with older generations of feminists who had already fought some of these struggles here, read texts on gender-based oppression within Zapatista communities and sought levers to strengthen sisterly trust and mutual support between us. At the final confirmation of the visit of the comrades from Chiapas, we summed up our meeting within the feminist pillar schedule into a conversational morning devided in two parts: (1) The Position Of Women, The Division Of Labor And Feminism Within The Wider Movement; and (2) Body, Reproduction And Violence. Our wish was for the meeting to be as relaxed as possible and in the form of dynamic exchanges of experiences and analyses, which was partly successful. Certainly, however, the time we spent together was too short to really build mutual trust and a safe sisterly space with the comrades from Chiapas and to enable relaxed exchanges of personal stories. One of the reasons the time ran out was also that they were retelling the 3 points from the presentation they had made the night before.
They told us that the community provides them with an equal position in the community, that they are involved in all struggles. They also established this through Women's Revolutionary Laws, which have been part of Zapatism since the very beginning of their uprising. At the same time, they stressed that there is still a lot of work to do in order to raise awareness, educating all members of the community about equality regardless of gender. The main objective remains the common struggle - the struggle against capitalism. In this context, they see the struggle against patriarchy as part of this wider struggle and both must be linked together. Therefore, everyone is made aware of the problems of patriarchy, and women also meet separately for political talks from time to time. Lesbians, gays and trans people are accepted in the community as long as they join the common Zapatista struggle.
In our context, we perceived the problem of the fragmentation of our struggles and the lack of recognition that the wide struggle against the patriarchal system needs to be a part of the anti-capitalist agenda. In order to present the local historical context of the fight against gender-based oppression, the comrade prepared a brief overview of women's struggles from Antifascist Front of Women (AFŽ) to the position of women in socialism, the struggles in the 1980's, when the issue of domestic violence was presented as a public matter, to the occupation of what is now Autonomous cultural centre Metelkova mesto in the 1990s, which became an extremely important base for the organization of feminists (Women's Center, Red Dawns) and LGBT, and the occupation of factory Rog, from which other feminist initiatives such as the Group for Inclusion Of Migrant Women, AFKORS, No Border Craft, Z'borke etc. Another comrade spoke about the existence of feminism in the hardcore punk scene and the squatted Cikrarna, where they had the first “women only” place.
In the second part of the conversational moring, the comrades from Chiapas told us the story of the struggle of their grandmothers, who suffered horrific sexual abuse by the owners of the estates on which they were forced to work. They spoke of rape, not only as a tool to punish individuals or the domination of landlords, but also as a tool to punish the entire indigenous community. In order to discipline rebellious or disobedient individuals or groups, landlords carried out public rapes of their friends, sisters, mothers, wives, and pregnant women. We were told that at the very beginning of the underground organization, men from their communities also took some patterns about the inferiority of women, but over time they found that the women were indispensable and that they too wanted the rebellion and liberation because of all the abuse. On the issue of domestic violence today, they explained to us that every local “good government” has at least one female member who is also a person of trust for other members of the community. In the event of violence, the person of trust shall ensure that appropriate action is taken and that the perpetrator is punished. The presence of machismo in the community remains a problem that they have to deal with by making men and women aware that they must not allow such behavior - the duty of the fight against patriarchy is on all members of the community.
In the afternoon, we moved from YHD to the sunny Metelkova playground, where we continued to socialize in a relaxed atmosphere of ball games, drawing and writing. The comrade brought some harvested dried herbs, for which the Zapatistas showed much interest. The conversation ran about herbs that relieve various aches and pains.
We asked ourselves what are the images that give us power with the desire to create a common mural that could remain in the memory of our meeting for our sisters from the other side of the world, as well as a visual reminder for us of the common path in the fight against patriarchy and capitalism. Together we imagined many icons from nature, personified sun and fruits, nature as a symbol of the power of overgrowth (owercoming) and the contact of women from different backgrounds, who together sow the seeds of the future.
Meanwhile, another expedition unexpectedly arrived, in which there were three indigenous women who were not Zapatistas but members of the Indigenous National Congress, which included delegates from 73 different indigenous peoples. They explained that they provide education for women and men on gender equality. And to notice that some men are willing to listen if they see their own benefits in this as well. They emphasized that they were inspired by the Zapatista struggle and expressed the opinion that they would also like to introduce a rule on the absence of alcohol in their communities, as they see the latter as one of the causes of violence. They talked about femicides and the disappearance of women in the indigenous areas of megaprojects, that is, where hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants, etc. are being built, which are also financed by Europe. Rebel communities that resist this are disciplined and as a consequence they suffer enormous pressures: these areas become very dangerous, there are murders and disappearances of indigenous women.
Despite the fact that there were few of us in the feminist pillar, the indigineus women concluded with encouraging words that great things grow from small beginnings and that the struggle must continue.
In the following days, when our comrades attended the program of the other pillars, we prepared a wall for our mural and transferred the imaginary ideas to the wall. After their return to Ljubljana, we completed the mural together and opened it with a rich cultural program. We had the pleasure of listening and seeing performances of FPZ Z'borke, Janez Blond, solo E, jugglers of the former Cirkusarna AT Rog, and ended the evening with fire in their hearts and in the hands of P and Z with fireshow.
The wealth brought by the Zapatistas in their stories has inspired us to continue this extremely difficult and demanding struggle against the capitalist devastation of the Earth and of our lives. At the same time, their narratives filled us with many questions, the answers to which we will have to find among ourselves.
24 and 27/09/2021, Ljubljana.
*Coordination for preparation and realization of the Zapatista meeting on the territory of Slovenia (Balkan Route)*
